Breathe
by floug977
Summary: Booth and Brennan have been in a relationship for a few months, and when something happens to Booth how will Brennan handle it? Not the best summary, but the story is good. ALTERNATE ENDING!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first B/B fanfic so hope you like it. I have some ideas to where this story is headed, but it may change. I have the first 3 chapters written, and I'll be trying to update every day until I go back to school next week since I know my semester will be super busy. So I'm trying to keep up with it. If I fall a little behind, I will let you all know. Thanks for reading and review!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Bones belongs to Fox as does the characters. The idea and plot is all my own.

Chapter 1:

Brennan typed fluently on her laptop as she sat on her couch in her living room. Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. Not just a knock. A pounding. A moment passed as she stopped typing and looked at the door with fear in her eyes. She knew who it was but wasn't sure if she wanted to speak to him at that moment, seeing as what happened earlier that day.

_Flashback_

_She couldn't wait to see him. She and Booth had been dating for a few months, and he had already admitted he was in love with her. But as in every decision Brennan made in her life, she made them methodically, taking her time, thinking through all possibilities. Now she was ready to tell him. She walked through the J. Edgar Hoover building and everyone recognized her immediately. The first date they had gone on Booth had given her an official FBI badge so that she could come and go as she pleased. She had given him a hard time before about the fact that she had given him a Jeffersonian badge without any romantic involvement, and he should be more than willing to give her an FBI security badge._

_She walked to the elevator and took it to his floor. Once there, she said hello to several secretaries and agents she had become acquainted with over the past few months. Then she met her destination. Booth's office. She saw that he was in there questioning a woman about the case they were currently working on. She decided to step back and for once in her life, not interrupt something. She smiled as she watched him move from behind his desk to the front, leaning against the wood. His stance showed dominance: arms crossed in front of him with a somewhat stern look on his face, yet still listening intently to the woman who was speaking. _

'_Booth is really good at listening.' Brennan thought, looking on._

_What Brennan saw next was something she would never forget as long as she lived. The woman stood up and walked to where Booth was and leaned up to look in his eyes._

_She could see Booth getting uncomfortable as he put up his hands to stop her, but then she kissed him with force._

_Brennan saw Booth close his eyes and that was all she could stand to watch. She looked away in awe as tears began to swell in her eyes. She needed to get out of there. Far away from him._

_Once Brennan made it back to her apartment, she finally broke down. Once she shut and locked her door, she leaned her forehead against it and let out a deep sob. She slid down to the floor as sobs wracked and overtook her body. She had never reacted this way about anyone or anything since her parents had vanished. She promised herself that she wouldn't lose control. She would never let her guard down. She had made it 15 years…until Booth. He had gotten to her, gotten her to lower all of those barriers, and she had let him in. and she loved him for that. He had saved her from a lifetime of loneliness and hurt. Until now. Now she could never trust Booth again._

_End Flashback_

The pounding continued, and she could sense Booth's frustration through the door, but she wasn't going to give in.

"Bones! Look, open the door! I know you're in there," Booth said through the door. "And I really need to talk to you, and I'm not leaving until you let me. I'll stay here as long as it takes."

"I know you will," Brennan whispered silently to herself. Booth never gave up on anything, why would he stop now?

"Bones, please," Booth said miserably leaning his head against her door. He was nearing tears as well. Booth couldn't lose her now. Not after everything. Just because Bones was there at the very wrong time.

_Flashback_

_As soon as Booth opened his eyes he was Brennan running toward the elevator. He quickly pushed the woman away, hearing her fall to the floor, but not caring._

"_Bones!" He shouted after her. He saw her enter the elevator and the doors close before he could reach them. He made a mad dash for the stairwell and ran down them as fast as he could. When he reached the lobby he was the elevator doors shutting and Bones walking out the door._

"_Bones!" Booth called out again as he ran toward the entrance, but by the time he had gotten there, he saw Bones driving away down the street. _

_End Flashback_

"Bones, look I'm sorry. For what it's worth. I mean … if you would let me explain it to you, you'd understand," Booth said through the door about an hour later. He had continued with his pleas every few minutes for that hour, only to be met with more silence. After the first half hour he had situated himself in the hallway. He sat against her door, knees close to his chest.

"I never understand anything you try to explain to me," he heard Brennan reply for the first time. A smile crept to his face when he heard her voice.

"Bones! You said something! Thank God. I was starting to think you snuck out," he said relieved that she was there. He was met again with the silence. "Are you every going to talk to me again? Oh, unless you want to make a nice sarcastic statement, then you'll talk." Booth regretted it the moment those words left his mouth. He knew if she was angry before, she was beyond livid now.

"I have listened to your pleas for over an hour, and now when I finally do speak all you do is insult me. Thanks, Booth. Have a nice night sleeping against my door, it'll do wonders for your back," she said and he could hear her get up and move around the apartment.

"You do realize that you implied that you would speak to me tomorrow." Booth asked. He knew he had gotten to her now.

"What? When?"

"Just then. About spending the night against the door, which suggests that tomorrow morning you will let me in or talk or whatever," Booth said and Brennan bit her lip and bit back a groan. Booth knew he had gotten to her and defeated her. Until.

"Do you know that you just made yourself sound like a squint? Taking things literally," Brennan said and Booth let out a breath to suppress his anger.

"I'm not going to fight with you, Bones," Booth said as calmly as possible.

"When are you going to stop calling me Bones? It's very derogatory, Booth." This tugged at Booth's heart. If he had known that it bothered her that much, he never would have continued calling her Bones. It hurt his feelings when she said this, but he would stop if it's what she truly wanted. "Never mind, I'm just going to sit her and work on this chapter. Continue on talking to yourself, although I'm not entirely sure how it will affect your mental health," Brennan said sitting back on the couch.

Booth sighed and stood up. The anger pulsating through him. He kicked the wall next to Brennan's apartment and started pacing through the hallway.

"Bones, you know I could've been in there an hour ago? Yeah, I could've broken down your door, but I didn't," Booth said putting both hands on either side of the door.

Brennan looked to the door debating whether or not to reply. Over the past few hours, she had felt every range of emotion: sadness and despair to a pity party to anger and now annoyance. She had stopped crying before he had gotten there, but began crying again as she listened to him plead with her.

"Oh yeah? Why didn't you? Does it make your shoulder hurt too much?" Brennan couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth. She had never said anything this horrible to Booth before. Granted, she had never been this angry before. Of course she would get angry with the murderers they dealt with, but she had never been quite as mean to them as she was being with Booth.

"Bones! Just shut up!" Booth yelled loudly making Brennan jump. "Just for once shut up and listen to me!"

"Well, I've listened to you for the past hour and look where that got me," Brennan replied angrily.

"Temperance, right now I'm so angry I'm not going to say anything. And you're angry too. So why don't we both just try to calm down? When you're ready, you talk to me," Booth said as he once again sat down at her door.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I got a lot of support in a very short time so I just couldn't help myself! Here's chapter 2 and I apologize if there are any errors grammatical or otherwise. I proof read it, but sometimes you still miss some things. Thanks to those who read and for those who reviewed and added the story to their favorites! Enjoy!

Chapter 2:

Later that Night

Brennan tried to sit and work on her book and forget that Booth was sitting there, but she couldn't. She paced around her apartment for awhile before she decided to take a shower. That was the one thing Booth was right about. She needed to calm down before she talked to him. She took a shower and then she began making herself dinner. Macaroni and cheese. Booth's favorite.

Booth could smell the mac and cheese through the door. His stomach growled and he grimaced. The last time he ate was breakfast, nearly 12 hours ago. But no matter how hungry he was or thirsty or how bad he had to go to the bathroom, he didn't budge. He wasn't moving until they talked.

Brennan ate in silence and stared at the plate she had made for Booth. Truth be told, she was waiting for him to talk first, but she realized he wasn't going to. She sighed as she picked up Booth's mac and cheese and walked to the door. She knew he had to be hungry, and she still cared about him, she wasn't going to let him starve. Not to mention she was ready to talk to him.

"Booth?" she asked, hesitating slightly, afraid maybe he had left. She had said so many terrible things to him, she wouldn't have blamed him if he had left.

"Bones?" he asked, a glimmer of hope in his voice.

She smiled as some tears came to her eyes. "I was afraid you had left."

"Never Bones. I could never leave you," Booth replied.

"Listen, I made some dinner. I have some for you if you want it. And I'm ready to talk, but I'm sorry I can't face you right now. So…would you mind if we conversed through the door?"

A smile crept to Booth's face. "Sure Bones. Whatever you want."

The door opened slightly and Brennan slipped out the dish of macaroni, remaining hidden behind the door.

"Thanks Bones," Booth said.

"You're welcome," she said.

"Did you eat?"

"Yes," she answered. Booth would never eat until Brennan had. She had the knack of forgetting to eat, but he always made sure she took a bite before he did. "I'm sorry. For what I said earlier. I didn't mean to. I suspect that my anger and frustration led to my actions. I didn't mean what I said, Booth."

"I know, Bones. I'm sorry too," Booth said as he scooped some food into his mouth.

"Why?" Brennan asked after a few moments of silence with emotion in her voice as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.

"I hate that you saw that, but…" Booth was cut off by Brennan.

"You betrayed me, Booth. You broke your promise. You said you would never betray me. You lied to me. You…" Brennan stopped a moment to try to compose herself. When she was ready she continued. "I opened myself up to you and all you did was hurt me. Like every other person who I've ever loved has done to me."

"You love me?" Booth asked, surprised. This was the first time he heard those words from her, but he didn't want to hear them like this. He wanted her to say them in a more romantic setting, not during a fight.

"That's why I was there. To finally tell you that I love you."

Booth was overwhelmed. He knew how hard it was for her to say it to him, but he would've waited forever to hear those words from her. A tear slid down his cheek.

"Well Bones, you could've just picked up the phone," he chuckled and he heard her laugh. Her sweet laugh. "I love you, too."

"You hurt me so much, Booth. That – I don't know. Maybe this was a bad idea."

"What? What was?" Booth asked, not really wanting to hear her answer.

"Us. This relationship. We had a line. Why did we have to cross it?"

"Because it was a risk we had to take. It would've happened eventually."

"Everything happens eventually," Brennan replied.

"Bones, I'm sorry. She came on to me. I swear. I pushed her away and that's when I saw you running. I followed you. I called out to you. You didn't answer."

"I couldn't hear you. Booth…I understood. I believe you. I just – I can't lose you," Brennan cried.

"Why would you lose me? I'm not going anywhere, Bones," Booth said.

"I just – I can't risk it. Not again. I trusted you, and I don't know how to get it back. After this," Brennan said and Booth could hear her crying through the door.

"Bones, you know that I would never hurt you. I didn't do this. She did. I love _you_, Temperance. You know that. You know that I can't hurt you. And you know I'm not going to leave you."

Brennan stood up and opened the door, and there she saw Booth sitting on the floor, sleeves rolled up and his hair disheveled. The mac and cheese had been pushed aside, sitting beside his discarded suit jacket.

"I know," she said as she kneeled down next to him. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you. I let my past experiences and emotions control my actions. It was very irrational of me," she said as she pulled Booth into her arms and she rested her chin on his shoulder.

"It's okay Bones. That's normal," Booth said as he took her in. She looked just as miserable as he did, even after her shower.

She pulled away from him and looked into his eyes where she saw all of the love and promise he had for her. She could only hope that's what he saw in her eyes.

She brought her lips to his and they enjoyed a slow kiss. Brennan filled it with as much love and gentleness as she could, to let him know that she had all the faith and trust in Booth. He was the only person she had ever trusted from the start. Even though they hadn't gotten along, she had trusted him with everything. Her thoughts, her fears, even her life. And now, she was willing to give up everything for this man.

"I love you."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Booth and Brennan sat on her couch, Brennan wrapped in Booth's arms. He wasn't going to ever let her go.

"Bones?" Booth asked.

"Yes," Brennan said as she linked her hand with her partners, lifting it up to her line of vision and tracing his fingers with hers.

"Why don't you ever call me Seeley?" he asked and she was caught off guard. She turned toward him and replied.

"You don't like to be called Seeley. You don't let anyone call you that, why would I?"

"Well, are you going to call me Booth for the rest of your life?"

"I haven't really given it any thought. Would you like me to call you Seeley?"

"It's up to you, Bones. I was just wondering. It would be nice though. To hear it coming from you," he said as he kissed the side of her head.

"I will. It may take me awhile to become accustomed to this new concept, but I'll do it. I may slip a little and accidentally call you Booth from time to time."

"It's fine Bones. You're allowed. I would forgive you," he said and smiled against her.

"When are you going to start calling me Temperance or Tempe?" she asked.

"You mean you really don't like it when I call you Bones? Because, if you don't, I'll stop I promise."

"No, I love it when you call me Bones. I just figured that if I was going to start calling you by your given name that you'd call me by my given name, but if you'd like to call me Bones, I'd love that too."

"When did you start becoming romantic, Temperance? I thought you didn't believe in love?"

"Well, since I have met you I've learned many new things. Love isn't impossible. The unconditional love – the love between a father and a child, a family, that's not impossible. My father, although he is the bad guy, I love him unconditionally. It was very confusing to me for awhile, but the more time I spent with him, the more I realized that no matter what my father has done, I love him because he is a part of me. Without him I wouldn't be me. I wouldn't be capable of any other love. Angela was the one who got me to realize that I was in love with you," she admitted.

"Really?" Booth asked.

"Yes. She told me that love is more than just caring for another person. It's much more than that. Love is being willing to do anything for someone. Giving your life for someone. I would give up everything for you."

"Are you saying you'd give up this life, the Jeffersonian, your friends, writing – all of it for me?"

"I would. Everything – this apartment, limbo cases, field work, writing, the Jeffersonian. I would give it all up just to spend a moment with you. I would die for you, Seeley. Which led me to the conclusion that you have loved me for a very long time."

"Really? And what exactly is the evidence behind this conclusion?" Brennan grinned. She loved it when Booth tried to speak to her in her own language.

"When you were blown up in my apartment, and you left the hospital you risked your life for me. You went in there without any protection. Not to mention, you didn't let anyone else touch me but you, which led to further injuries. And then you took a bullet for me. You've loved me for a very long time."

"I've loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you."

"Booth, that's impossible. There is no such thing as love at first sight. If it cannot be proven, it is not possible let alone logical."

"It's magic Bones. Love is magical. It may not be measureable or quantifiable or whatever you call it, but when two people truly connect on a higher level, it's magical."

"There's no such thing as magic either," Brennan said doubtfully.

"Oh really?" Booth asked as he reached behind her ear and revealed a coin to her.

"How did you do that?" she asked unbelieving.

"Magic, Bones. A magician never reveals his secrets," he said as he kissed Brennan and stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to head home. I have a big meeting with Cullen tomorrow morning. At like 7 a.m. So, I need some sleep. And I know that if I stay here, we won't get any sleep because we'll be up all night talking."

"That's very true. I need to get some sleep too. Since our current case doesn't seem to be going anywhere, maybe we'll get an interesting case tomorrow."

"I sure hope so because I can't go a day without seeing you," he said as he leaned down and kissed her lips gently, but passionately.

After a couple of minutes, Brennan pulled away from Booth and said, "You're right. If you don't leave now you won't leave at all."

He sighed and stood up again, putting on his jacket.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he assured her before kissing her again quickly and then heading for her door.

"Okay."

"Oh, Bones?" he turned around.

"Yes?"

"I love you," he said, putting on his 'charm smile' she loved so much.

"You better get out of here," she laughed. "Booth!" she yelled before he had a chance to close the door behind him.

"Yeah, Bones?"

"I love you too," she smiled back at him.

He blew her another kiss before finally closing the door behind him.

Brennan couldn't believe that she already missed him. Was that even possible? When it came to Booth, she concluded, it was possible.

THE NEXT MORNING

Brennan cursed as she hurried around her apartment. For some reason, her alarm didn't go off and she had overslept. She decided to skip her morning shower since she had gotten one the night before, and if she needed a shower, she could always get one at the lab. She decided that she would call Booth and ask him to bring her some coffee instead of making some before she left. She was going to need a lot of coffee if the rest of the day would be as bad as her morning had been.

Now where did she put her phone? After finding it in the bottom of her purse, she saw that she had several missed calls. She decided to wait on those until she got to the lab. They were probably all from Angela, checking up on her since she hadn't gone back to the lab the day before.

She quickly grabbed her bags and speed dialed Booth as she locked her door and made her way to her car.

When Booth didn't pick up after several rings, she concluded that he must still be in the meeting with Cullen and decided to leave him a voicemail.

"Booth, it's me. Temperance. I'm not really very good at leaving voicemails, but when you get this if you could please bring me some coffee, I've had a horrible morning. Anyway, coffee would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Oh, and I love you," she quickly added before hanging up. Now that she had said it, she never wanted to stop.

When she arrived at the Jeffersonian, she was bombarded by Angela asking so many questions.

"Sweetie, are you okay? Where did you go yesterday? I called you like a zillion times," Angela said as she followed Brennan into her office.

"Sorry, Angela. I told Cam where I was going and that I wasn't coming back. And I know for a fact it wasn't a zillion times, it was about five."

"Exaggeration, sweetie. And since when do you tell Cam anything?"

"She's my boss. I don't want to be fired. I'm sorry Angela. I promise I'll explain everything to you later."

"Okay," Angela settled. "Lunch. I have to get back to work."

Angela left and Brennan turned to her voicemail.

The first five messages were, in fact, from Angela and she deleted them quickly. The next message was from Booth. _"Hey, I guess you went to sleep. I know I just left, but I just wanted to tell you I miss you already. Okay, love you. Sweet dreams."_

Brennan smiled as she listened to the message. The feeling of being loved and loving someone else was something she hadn't experienced before, and she liked it. She had shut out so many people in her life until Booth, and she couldn't believe that she had found someone who could love her so completely.

The next message caught Brennan totally off-guard. The smile faded as she listened to the message.

"Dr. Brennan, what time is it? About a half hour later than you're supposed to be here. So please if you're going …" Cam rattled off as she walked into Brennan's office.

Brennan turned to face Cam with tears in her eyes. Cam had never seen so much fear in Brennan before. She had never known Brennan to be afraid of anything. She wondered what could have freaked Brennan out that much.

"What? What is it?" she asked, worry growing on her face.

"Booth. He's been -- He's been taken," Brennan croaked out as she held the phone out for Cam to hear the message, tears turning to sobs.

"Dr. Brennan, we're going to find him. We will. I promise," Cam comforted Brennan as she fell back into her chair, to keep herself from collapsing.

Cam left her office, beginning to shout orders. Brennan began taking deep breaths to get her emotions under control, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't gain control.

Booth. Seeley. Her Booth. He was in trouble. Why did it have to happen? When things had gotten to be so good, something had to go wrong. Something bad always happened when Brennan finally had some inch of happiness in her life.

She couldn't control the sobs as they wracked her body. She couldn't lose him. She just couldn't, but she couldn't help but fear the worst. She began blaming herself for whatever happened to Booth; thinking that if she had gotten the message earlier, something could have been done.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: In this chapter, there's information about the case that Booth and Brennan were working on. This case is pivotal to the plot, sorry it wasn't really mentioned previously, but a lot of it should make sense, hopefully. I hope it makes sense. I'm not a medical doctor or anthropologist or pathologist, but hopefully it works.

Chapter 4

Brenan was still crying when Angela walked into her office.

"Sweetie?" she asked gently as she saw Brennan sitting on the couch. "Cam told me what's going on. I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about it?"

Brennan shook her head and then chuckled. "I don't know why I'm behaving like this."

"Because Bren, you love him. I was the same way when Hodgins was taken. But sweetie, Booth is going to be fine."

"You can't say that, Ange. You don't know. Anything could have happened to him. Someone took him and they're demanding ransom. Why would someone want to take Booth?" Brennan asked. As far as she knew Booth didn't have enemies. She couldn't think of any reason why someone would want Booth. Except.

"Ange, it must be this case we're working on. It has to be."

"Listen to you jumping to conclusions. Assuming," Angela rubbed Brennan's back after she let out a breath and laid her head in her hands. "Sweetie, we only know what we know. Okay? But we're going to figure it out."

"Thanks, Angela."

"Dr. Brennan, the FBI would like to speak with you," Cam said as she leaned in the doorway.

"Thanks, Cam."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth was with you last night?"

"Yes. He left my apartment at about 11:30 P.M. He was there all afternoon," she answered with her arms wrapped securely around her. She hated being a topic of interest in the case, but the sooner she answered the questions the sooner she would be cleared.

"Can anyone else confirm your whereabouts?"

"My neighbor saw me entering my apartment yesterday around 2:30 P.M. Agent Booth arrived around 4:30. There is also a doorman and a receptionist at the desk in the lobby at all times. They saw me come in yesterday afternoon."

"And have you had any contact with Agent Booth after 11:30 last night after he left your apartment?"

"No. He had called my phone after I had gone to bed --"

The agent cut Brennan off, "Why didn't you answer it?"

"I was in REM. A sleep cycle. It would be very difficult for me to hear a phone ringing in the bottom of my purse," Brennan snapped. "Sorry, I'm just very frustrated."

"Any other contact?"

"I had called him this morning to see if he could bring coffee. It was about 8 when I called him. He told me he had a meeting with Deputy Director Cullen this morning so when he didn't answer, I assumed he was still in the meeting. I left him a voicemail."

"And what time did you receive the voicemail from the kidnapper?"

"At around 8:30 this morning."

"After you called Agent Booth? Why hadn't you heard the voicemail before that?"

"I was running late for work, I didn't have time."

"Yet you had time to call Agent Booth."

Brennan shook her head. "Look, I've answered all of your questions. Could you please tell me what's going on?"

"I'm sorry Dr. Brennan, I can't really give you any information until the investigation is complete."

Brennan's brow furrowed. "What does that mean? That's crap. Booth and I are partners. And my associates are very good with this kind of thing."

"So is the FBI. I'm sorry," the agent said before walking away.

Brennan sat down on the platform steps similar in the way she and Booth had on Halloween. She remembered the night with a smile. It was over a year ago they had been Wonder Woman and Clark Kent after a bad date. That night he had once again saved her life. Booth was a natural protector, which is why she found it strange that he had a hard time protecting himself. Getting blown up, getting kidnapped and tortured, getting shot. Brennan rested her head in her hands again as Angela walked up.

"They won't tell me anything!" Brennan shouted angrily. "And we can help! Why won't they let me help?"

"Sweetie, maybe they're right," Angela pointed out, sitting next to her. "I think maybe this is one case you should sit out."

"Why?" Brennan asked, in shock.

"You're too emotionally attached to this one, Bren."

"That never stopped us before," Brennan pointed out.

"Yeah, well. Back then, you and Booth weren't involved romantically."

"That's a good point," Brennan gave up on her argument, running a hand through her hair.

"Are you worried?" Angela asked, worried about her best friend. She knew Brennan had an uncanny capability to rationalize anything and everything, but this was different. Even after Booth's "death", Brennan hadn't reacted like this.

Brennan looked into her friend's eyes with tears in hers and nodded silently.

"We'll find him," Angela tried to assure her.

"I have faith in Booth, Angela, but I don't really need any false hope right now," Brennan said as she stood up and stalked away.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Brennan sat with her head leaning back against the chair at her desk. She held Jasper and Brainy Smurf in her hands, two of her most treasured possessions. She treasured them not only because Booth gave them to her, but they held great meaning to her. Like dolphins. The little things that Booth did for her seemed to be the ones that were most important.

There was a knock on her office door, and she turned the chair around to see Dr. Sweets. She waved him in as she set the gifts down on her desk gently.

"How are you doing, Dr. Brennan?" he asked as he took a seat across form her.

Brennan groaned. She didn't know how much longer she could stand the questions and the concerns. She wasn't fine, but she would've liked to keep that to herself. "Please Dr. Sweets, I would really appreciate it if you didn't psychoanalyze me right now," she said as she put Jasper and Brainy Smurf back on the shelf behind her desk.

"I'm not asking you as your doctor, I'm asking you as your friend, Dr. Brennan."

She took a deep breath and saw the sincerity in Dr. Sweets. Even though she hated psychology, she could tolerate speaking with Sweets. He had become a friend to them, and she felt that for once, Sweets would not be giving her any false hope. He based his information off of the facts. He wouldn't sugar coat things for her like everyone else.

"To be honest, I feel totally helpless. I can't do anything. The FBI won't give me any information and they won't let me help in the investigation. Not to mention, the kidnapper hasn't called back. There aren't any clues."

"Do you think it's related to the case you're currently working on with Booth?" Sweets asked.

Brennan thought for a moment before answering. "It has to be. It's the only logical explanation. Booth has no enemies, and who in their right mind kidnaps an FBI agent?"

"Okay. So, solve the case and I'm sure it will lead you to Booth," Sweets pointed out.

"Thanks Sweets," Brennan said as she nearly jumped out of her chair, grabbing her lab coat and making her way to the platform.

"Dr. Brennan. I think I may have found something," Dr. Clark Edison told her as she made her way over to the bones. She had broken down and finally hired Clark. He was one of the best forensic anthropologists qualified for the job, and he worked well in the court room.

Brennan took the file and began reviewing all of the evidence they'd gathered. Their victim had been found in the middle of the woods, in the early stages of decomposition, probably due to animals in the area. The cause of death had been a fatal blow to the head, the weapon still not identified. Local police had found the victim's vehicle about 200 yards from where the body was found. There had been damage to the vehicle, from an accident. The police had determined it to be a one-car incident, but what was unexplainable was how the body had come to its final resting place. Either there was someone in the car with the victim when the accident occurred or there was another car involved. There was no evidence to prove that theory though.

Brennan looked on in interest as Clark pointed to a place on the victim's ribs.

"I found these new markings. They weren't made from a fall and weren't from the accident. They suggest that the victim was dragged from the site, but whoever dragged her had trouble with it. There's significant damage to the bones here. Whoever dragged her had some kind of a medical defect or--"

"Or an injury, perhaps a broken bone," Brennan thought hard to remember if she and Booth had spoken with anyone who had any injuries.

"Oh. My. God," Brennan gasped. "It's her. The sister," she exclaimed and rushed off. She remembered when she and Booth had questioned her. She had a cast on her left arm, explaining that she had been in an accident a week prior. How could she not have realized? The sister had to have been involved in the accident, it fit in with the time of death of the victim.

"Angela! I know who took Booth!" Brennan yelled walking into Angela's office.

"Whoa, sweetie. Slow down. Who took Booth?"

"The victim's sister. She seduced Booth yesterday. We didn't even suspect her. What was her name? Marie! Marie Boulet. It's her Angela!"

"Okay sweetie, lets call the FBI and let them know. Do you have the evidence?"

"It's what you would call a long-shot. I don't think I could prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, but when Booth and I questioned her she said she was recently in an automobile accident. She broke her arm, and that explains why she had trouble dragging the victim. It fits perfectly with the time of death."

"Okay, you're not really making that much sense to me right now, but do you really think that a woman with a broken arm could've kidnapped Booth? Honey …" Brennan cut her off.

"She was probably the cause of her sister's accident. She could've done the same thing to Booth. Maybe she had help. Angela, it has to be. It's her," Brennan said angrily and Angela backed away.

"Okay. Then lets call the FBI and tell them we have a lead."

"I have a better idea. Come with me," Brennan said grabbing Angela and heading to the parking garage.

"Where are we going?"

"Booth's place. I can't think of any other place Booth would've been."

"Is this really a good idea? Brennan. I think you should relax, okay? Lets call the FBI and tell them what Clark found."

"Angela, I need to find Booth. I can't just sit here doing nothing but wait. If you don't want to help find Booth, then don't come." Brennan said forcefully before she turned and hurried toward the exit.

"Sweetie! Be careful," Angela muttered to herself but Brennan was already out of sight.

On the way to Booth's apartment she looked for anything suspicious along the roads. She was positive that the FBI had already done a sweep of his apartment for clues, but she wanted to be sure. The FBI forensics team could have missed something.

She walked up to Booth's door and found the key. She unlocked the door and walked inside hesitantly. This was the one time she wished she had brought her gun. She walked in and found everything was the same. Booth's bed was unmade, which told her that he had made it home and had gotten some sleep. He probably wasn't taken out of his apartment, she concluded. All of the evidence suggested that Booth was taken in the daytime. Anyone would have seen him being taken out of his apartment in broad daylight.

Brennan couldn't think. Since the case now involved Booth she began making intuitive leaps and illogical assessments, something she never did. Under any circumstances.

She sat down on Booth's couch and ran a hand through her hair. If only he was there to run scenarios with her, it would be a lot easier.

"Who is she working with? Could be a number of people. Oh my God. I'm talking to myself," she sighed and began to think again.

Then it came to her.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Since Bones was cancelled tonight and won't be on til next week, I decided to post this early. I was going to wait until tomorrow, but I can imagine that we're all going through some serious withdraw by now. I should know I watched half of season one today since school still hasn't started yet. Anyway, here's chapter 5. It may take me awhile to get chapter 6 up, it's started but no where near finished and I'm not entirely sure how the chapter is going to play out yet. So, it may be a few days or it may be tomorrow I'm not sure yet. But please read and review and thank you for those who have reviewed and added me as favorite author or have added this story to your alert or your favorites. It means a lot so thank you!

Chapter 5:

Booth woke up curled in a ball. Where was he? He felt around in the darkness, but he couldn't make anything out. A wall. That was about it. He searched for his phone, but found it missing as was everything from his pockets. His wallet, his keys. Keys! He had been driving. He didn't even notice when a car started to follow him, and then pulled beside him. He had been too distracted to notice. He was anxious about his meeting with Cullen, and was also excited about having Parker for the weekend. Not to mention, he couldn't keep his mind off of Bones. He was constantly reminded of her, and he didn't mind, he just wished that he wouldn't get so distracted.

He was driven off the road. Everything after that was gone. No memory whatsoever. It scared him that he couldn't remember. What was worse was they took his gun so his greatest chance to escape was gone.

He heard a door open and the clicking of heels in the room. He didn't know who his captors were. He hadn't seen them, but now he knew.

"Agent Booth," her voice sounded so evil as she walked circles around him like an eagle would do to his prey. "It is so good to see you again."

"Why are you doing this?" Booth asked, trying to hide his fear.

"Oh come on, Seeley. Don't you realize? It's her. Dr. Brennan. We need to break her, and you were the only way we could get to her. Of course, we might have to kill you, but … so be it."

"No. Not Dr. Brennan. Just kill me. Do whatever you want," he pleaded with her.

"Now what fun would that be?" Marie asked, still circling Booth.

"Marie! Lets go! It's time!" a man's voice sounded from outside the door.

"Shut up! Great, now he knows you're here," Marie seethed.

"Time for what?" Booth called out.

"Shut up!" Marie yelled and kicked Booth in the stomach. "Give me the phone."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Brennan fell asleep on Booth's couch and she awoke with a start when her phone rang.

"Brennan," she mumbled sleepily.

"Dr. Brennan, we have Agent Booth. If you want him back you must follow my instructions." Brennan interrupted her.

"I know who you are, Marie. And I will find you."

She heard a pause before she heard, "My partner is currently holding a gun to Agent Booth's head. So, as I said, if you want him back alive, you must do as I say. No games, we are doing this my way!"

Brennan shook as she heard the hatred in the woman's voice. "First, I want you to let me talk to him. Before I do anything, I need to know he's okay." There was a pause before Brennan continued. "I promise I will do anything you want just please let me speak to him first."

"You have one minute."

"Bones!" Booth called out and Brennan felt tears burning up when she heard his voice. He was alive.

"Booth! Are you okay?" she asked, wiping her tears away.

"For now. Listen Bones, don't come. They're gonna kill me anyway! Don't listen to anything they say!" Booth shouted out quickly before she heard a loud crack of a fist meeting a jaw. She heard Booth moan and she swallowed, scared for him.

"That's enough! Time's up Dr. Brennan. I advise you to listen to my directions very carefully."

"No Bones," she heard a muffled sound from Booth in the background.

"Shut up!" Marie yelled and she heard Booth get kicked hard. When she didn't hear a moan, she knew he had passed out.

"Listen to me! If you want me to do what you say and to play this your way, he needs to be conscious and unharmed," Brennan said. "I'll do anything you want but he remains conscious and unharmed or you won't get anything from me."

Brennan heard Marie blowing out hot breaths and she knew that she had just ensured Booth's safety. That was all that mattered. She didn't care about what they would do to her as long as Booth lived.

"Okay Dr. Brennan. You have my word that he will be unharmed as long as you do as I say. First off, no FBI. My partner and I are going to need to make a clean break from this. If you do as I say, you and Agent Booth should live life normally and forget all about us. If I see that you bring FBI to this location or get them involved in any way, there will be consequences. Secondly, I need you to bring 3 million dollars in cash to the address that I give you by 6 P.M. tomorrow."

Brennan cut her off. "That's not possible. I mean, I have money but it might be impossible to get it all in cash by tomorrow."

"Then you do what you have to do, Dr. Brennan," Marie's voice continued. "If I don't have that money by 6 P.M., I will kill Agent Booth. Thirdly, you must also come unarmed. We'll check you so I wouldn't even think about hiding a gun anywhere. Oh, and if you don't obey these things, we will hurt him."

"What's the address?" Brennan asked.

"It's an old warehouse off of Route 12. It's the old building on Sycamore. Do you know it?"

"Yes."

"Meet me there. I'll be waiting. Remember what I said Dr. Brennan."

"Wait. Will there be any more communication?" she asked.

"No. Six P.M. tomorrow. Time's running out, Dr. Brennan."

She heard the line disconnect and she immediately began thinking of how to get three million dollars in a short amount of time when she heard a voice behind her.

"Dr. Bones?" she heard a small voice call out.

"Parker," she breathed. "Honey, what are you doing here?" Parker was aware of the relationship between Booth and Brennan, and Brennan had grown significantly attached to Parker and vise versa. She had forgotten that Booth had Parker for the weekend.

"Mommy brought me. We went to the big FBI building. Mommy said that daddy isn't here. A bad man took him. Where did he go?"

"Parker! There you are!" Rebecca rushed in, relieved to see that we was with Brennan.

"Could I have a minute with him Rebecca?" Brennan asked.

"Sure, Temperance. I'll be right outside," she said, smiling to Parker.

"Parker, a case that your daddy and I were working on got a little complicated."

"What's that?"

"It means that something happened and it's really hard to understand and explain. Don't worry Parker. I'm going to find your daddy, and I'm going to bring him home. I promise," Brennan said hugging Parker close to her.

"Okay, Dr. Bones."

"Dr. Brennan," she heard a new voice. Deputy Director Cullen.

"Director Cullen," she stood and ushered Parker out of the room. "I'll see you later Parker."

"Dr. Brennan, what are you doing here?" he asked her once Parker was out of earshot.

"I was just coming to see if anything was overlooked during the sweep."

"Did we miss anything?" Cullen asked.

"No," Brennan answered. Half lying, half telling the truth. She had discovered something the FBI had overlooked. She hated lying, especially to the FBI, but she would do it for Booth. Technically, she was there to see if anything was missed during the sweep, and the information she discovered was at the lab, not Booth's home. So technically, none of it was a lie. That made her feel a little better.

"I'm sorry Dr. Brennan. I wish there was something that I could say or do."

"There's nothing that you need to say. Booth is going to be fine," Brennan said confidently.

"You seem pretty sure."

"I have so much faith in Booth. I know in my heart that he is fine. Sometimes the heart has to be stronger than the brain," Brennan said, remembering what Booth had once told her that she should begin feeling with her heart instead of thinking everything with her brain.

"I just feel bad that I could be a part of the reason he was taken." Brennan had never seen Cullen beat himself down so much. The guilt in his eyes was undeniable. She wished that she could tell him what she had discovered, but Booth's life was too much to risk. If she told Cullen, she knew that Cullen wouldn't even let her go let alone letting her go all by herself without any back-up. She remembered all of the times that Cullen had treated Booth, pretty badly, and it had affected Booth in a way she didn't expect and she could never understand. Booth's need for acclaim and his need to be seen as an accomplished and highly successful agent in the eyes of his superior, made perfect sense to her.

"Why is that?" Brennan asked.

"Because if I hadn't told Booth to meet me at 7 A.M. he may not have been taken at all."

"What do you mean?"

Cullen sighed, knowing he had slipped FBI confidential information to her. "Booth wasn't taken from here. His car is missing, he must've been on his way to the office when--" he trailed off.

"Director Cullen, I know you don't like me, but none of this is your fault. You need to understand that. So please," she paused, "don't blame yourself."

"It was a meeting about your partnership. We were going to discuss a possible separation," Cullen admitted, looking away from her.

"What?" Brennan asked incredulously. She couldn't believe it. She knew the FBI frowned upon romantic relationships between partners, but she and Booth were professionals. They didn't let anything affect their work. When they were having problems, they could still solve cases. When she had started to succumb to Jared, and they had their first real fight, they still managed to be an effective team.

"I'm sorry Dr. Brennan--"

Brennan cut him off angrily. "You can't separate us! I realize that our relationship is centered upon high risk situations, but we're a great team. We're the best crime solving team in FBI history, you can't do this!" She paused to collect her thoughts for a moment. "Did Booth know about this?"

"He knew I wanted to talk about your partnership, but he didn't know I was planning to sever the partnership."

"I can't believe this!" Brennan exclaimed as she grabbed her things, hurrying out of the apartment.

"Dr. Brennan! Please let me continue!" Cullen called after her quickly.

Brennan turned around and muttered through gritted teeth, "You've explained enough!"

And then she left.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Okay, so I really really apologize that I haven't been updating but this semester has really been kicking my butt. It's pretty stressful and time consuming and not much time to write besides the weekends. I don't have any more written after this chapter so I have no idea when the next update will be, but I hope it'll be soon. So I apologize in advance if it's a couple weeks. Anyway onto the chapter, just a **WARNING!!!** there are character deaths in this chapter. I won't say who, but there are some violence in this chapter (hitting, fighting, guns, etc.) so kids might not want to read this chapter if they can't handle it. And there is about one swear word, so be prepared for that if you're highly anti-swearing. I think that is everything I have to prepare you for and I didn't get a chance to really proof-read so I'm sorry for any spelling/grammar/punctuation mistakes. Hope you read and review. Enjoy!

Chapter 6:

Brennan sat in her living room wringing her hands. After gathering the three million dollars she returned to her apartment and waited. There was nothing for her to do at the lab, so she decided it was best to just wait. She wanted to ensure Booth's safety and if that meant sitting in her apartment, cutting off all contact with the FBI and the friends that she worked with, she'd do it.

Mostly, she thought about the past months with Booth and how their relationship had progressed. The dates they had gone on and the little things he had done for her.

Before she knew it, she looked at the clock and it read 5 A.M. She must've fallen asleep at some point. When, she didn't know, but at least she got to sleep. She didn't know what to do the rest of the day except to prepare for her rendezvous with Maria. Brennan knew she was putting herself at great risk going by herself, but that didn't matter now. Booth needed to come out of this ordeal completely unscathed. Not just for her, but for Parker as well. Brennan had grown so close to Parker, and she knew how much Booth's death would affect him.

Brennan sat there, thinking. She couldn't tell the FBI or anyone at work about what she was going to do. The only person she could think of to help her was her father. She was sure that at some point in his life, he had been in a situation like this and of course, he had helped her save Booth before. He was the only person she could trust with this.

She picked up her phone and dialed. It rang several times before he answered. It was still early morning, she figured he must've been asleep so she hesitated before she said anything.

"Dad?" she croaked out quietly.

"Tempe? Are you okay, baby?" he asked, worried.

"I'm fine. Dad, I need your help. Can you come over?"

"Sure, I'll be there in ten minutes."

She hung up the phone and began pacing around the apartment. Exactly 10 minutes later there was a knock on her door. As soon as she opened the door, her father pulled her into his arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked, pulling her back and cradling her head in his hands.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Good. What did you need?"

"You can't tell anyone about this."

"I'm pretty good at keeping secrets, Tempe," he said, trying to lift the mood.

"Dad, please," she said seriously and her father saw the look in her eyes. The look of fear and worry. He knew something bad had happened.

"What's wrong?"

"Booth has been kidnapped. The FBI won't let me participate in the case, but the kidnapper contacted me. They said they want $3 million by later today or they'll kill Booth."

"Did you tell the FBI?"

"They said that if I got the FBI involved that they'd kill him. I can't even be armed. Dad, I need your help."

"Tempe, what am I going to do? I don't even have a gun."

"I do. Here," she said pulling a gun out of a drawer in the living room. "Booth doesn't know about this."

"Tempe, this is extremely dangerous. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Booth means so much to me. I love him, dad. I can't just forget that he's with these people. I can't leave him helpless. Not when I can give them what they want."

"What if this is a trap? Then what?"

"I don't know. That's where you come in," she said.

The rest of the day they spent planning. Where Max would be when they arrived at the warehouse. Brennan knew the layout of the warehouse fairly well so she determined a place where Max could see her at all times.

Soon, the time arrived for them to leave. They planned on Max walking in on foot, hoping to not to be seen in the dark.

"In five minutes you should drive in," Max said to her as she let him out of the car a block away from the warehouse.

"Be careful, dad," she said.

"You too, baby," and with that she watched him walk away into the darkness.

Brennan wasn't very fond of prayer, but she bowed her head silently and prayed. She didn't know what to pray for, but she prayed for all of them and hoped they all would get out of this safely.

Five minutes seemed like an eternity as she sat in the car waiting. Eventually she put the car in gear and drove up to the warehouse.

She could make out a figure standing in the darkness and determined it was Marie.

Brennan parked and walked toward the woman.

"Dr. Brennan, how good of you to join us," she sneered. "Where's the money?"

"In the car. I need to see Booth before I give you the money."

"Very well. Bring him out," Marie said, and Brennan heard shuffling inside the building.

Brennan sucked in her breath as she saw Booth. His face was swollen and covered in blood. His shirt was un-tucked and covered in blood as well.

"Bones," she heard him whisper when he saw her.

She held back the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks as she watched him.

"Bones, why did you come?" he asked.

"Shut up!" Marie exclaimed and she hit Booth in the head with a pipe. Booth was knocked out cold.

"Hey! You said you wouldn't hurt him!" Brennan exclaimed.

"I lied," she laughed. "You don't know anything about criminals do you? You seriously think that we're not going to kill you before we get out of here? You never know, you and Agent Booth may never be found after what we're going to do with you."

"Who says you're going to get the money?" Brennan asked.

"You're unarmed. You really think we can't take you down?" Marie asked, pulling out a gun and pointing it at Brennan. "Give me the money. Now."

"It's in the car why don't you go get it?" Brennan asked.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Marie shouted.

"Well, you're going to kill us anyway. What difference does it make if I give you the money or you get it yourself?"

Marie huffed and moved forward. She went to open Brennan's passenger door, and a gunshot suddenly rang out. Brennan turned and saw Marie slump to the ground.

"Don't move!" Her father shouted as he pointed the gun at the man standing over Booth. "Are you okay, Tempe?"

"Yeah," she answered.

"Go check on Booth. I've got you covered," Max said and walked closer to the man.

"Over there! Put your hands against the wall!"

Brennan ran over to Booth. He was still unconscious. "Booth! Booth, wake up please! Come on, Booth! Seeley!" She kept trying to shake consciousness into him. With a couple of more jerks he began to come to.

"Bones!" he breathed. "You okay?"

"Thank God!" Brennan exclaimed.

Max turned and faced them. "Is Booth okay?"

"Yes," she answered and saw the man against the wall pull a gun from his pocked. "Dad! Look out!"

"Bones!" Booth exclaimed.

Max went into action and began fighting with the man. They both fell to the ground, both wrestling with guns.

"Tempe! Get Booth out of here!" Max shouted from under the man.

Brennan helped Booth to his feet and began moving toward the car. She turned and looked at her father.

"Tempe go! Leave me"

"I'm not leaving you here dad!" she yelled and leaned Booth against the car.

"Bones, her gun! Go get her gun!" Booth whispered in pain and she left him against the car.

Brennan ran around to the other side of the car where Marie lay in a pool of blood and found the gun. Just as she picked it up, a shot rang in the air.

She looked on in awe as she saw the man stand up. Her father was lying on the ground, blood pooling around him. Tears sprang to her eyes.

"You bastard!" she shouted, aimed the gun and shot him in between the eyes. He slumped forward and she ran to her father.

"Dad?" she asked as she took in the sight of him. He had been shot in the abdomen. She leaned over him and began putting pressure on the wound.

"Tempe," he whispered.

"Dad! Hey! You're gonna be okay," she assured him.

"No. I – Tempe," but she interrupted him.

"Sh. It's best if you don't talk right now," she told him and turned toward Booth. "Booth! Call 911!"

"They're already on their way Bones," he said back, still leaning against her car.

"Tempe, I'm sorry. For everything I've done. All I've ever wanted to do was protect you from all of the things in this world that could hurt you, all of the people that could hurt you. I never realized that protecting you was what has been hurting you all along. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you," he paused and coughed. Brennan's tears were streaming as she realized her father may not survive this ordeal. "I'm sorry. I love you, Temperance."

"I forgive you, dad," she sobbed and hugged him. Leaning close to his ear she whispered, "I love you, dad."

She heard him cough violently and she pulled back to look at him. He had passed out and she felt for his pulse. Very faint. "Dad! Come on! Wake up, Dad! Talk to me! Dad!" she continued to attempt to wake him until the ambulances arrived.

1 HOUR LATER

Brennan was sitting in the waiting room. She hadn't looked at herself in the mirror, but she knew her expressionless, tear-stained face as she sat in a daze.

At this moment she didn't know what to feel. She didn't know anything except that Booth was being treated and that her father was in surgery. She felt fear and anger. Angry at herself for asking him to come with her. Anger because he was trying to protect her, and there wasn't anything she could do to help him. She had to believe that he would be okay. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she needed him. She loved him, and now that he was back, she wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.

She had tried to call Russ, but he was away with Amy and the girls and couldn't be reached. She had called Angela as well, but got no answer. For once, she didn't want to go through this by herself. She couldn't rationalize this. She blamed herself. This situation was very similar to when Booth had been shot. He had taken that bullet for her, and he shouldn't have. She could've taken the bullet.

She sighed and looked up as she heard someone come through the doors. She couldn't look the doctor in the eye though for fear of what he would say. He sat down next to her and she looked up slowly.

"Your dad is out of surgery. There was a severe amount of internal bleeding, but we got that taken care of," the doctor said, "However, there were some complications during the surgery. He went into cardiac arrest. After a few minutes, we managed to get his heart started, but because of the lack of oxygen to his brain, he slipped into a coma. I'm sorry Dr. Brennan, but he may never wake up."

She heard what he said, and knew what it meant, but her brain just couldn't fully comprehend it. She believed her father to be a strong man, never taking crap from anyone, never giving up. He was invincible to her.

"Can I see him?" she asked.

"Sure. Follow me."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"How much longer?" Booth asked. He was growing impatient with all of the tests. All he wanted to do was be with Brennan. He didn't know how she was handling everything under the circumstances. He didn't even know if Max was okay, but he knew that she needed him. Of course, while she needed him he had spent 40 minutes waiting for a CAT scan. He didn't care about the urgency of these tests, he just wanted to be there for her. To hold her and comfort her. To let her know he was there.

"Not too much longer, Agent Booth. Just lie still, please," the technician answered.

"The man I was brought in with, Max Keenan, is there any word on his condition? I asked to be notified."

"I'll check Agent Booth. Now please, no talking," the tech said.

He waited in silence until the test was over. He knew the tech had come back, but he wouldn't tell him what was going on with Max, which he determined could only be a bad thing.

"Okay Agent Booth, let me help you back to the bed," the tech said as he helped him out of the wheelchair and helped him onto the bed.

Once Booth was settled he said, "What about Max Keenan?"

"He's out of surgery, but he's in a coma. I'm sorry I don't know much more than that."

"What about my girlfriend? His daughter. Temperance Brennan. Where is she?"

"She's with him now."

"Take me to her," Booth demanded.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that. You're still healing. We'll tell her what happened."

"No, I want to tell her. Just … tell her that I'm fine, I just had to go through some testing. I will tell her the rest."

"I will, Agent Booth. Get some rest," the tech said and left.

Booth leaned his head back and sighed. So many thoughts were running through his head. He didn't know what to say or how to tell her. Because what he had to tell her would change both of their lives forever, and it could be the one thing that could make her run away.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Okay, so sad chapter warning, maybe a tear-jerker. And I know some of you were worried about Booth dying, don't worry he's not. But we do find out what's going on with him during this chapter so happy reading and please review! Enjoy!

Chapter 7:

Brennan sat holding her father's hand with tears in her eyes. She didn't know what else to do. Talking to him was irrational. He may be able to hear her, but it wouldn't bring him out of the coma. So she just sat there holding his hand.

She wondered how Booth was. The nurse said that she would come and get her once Booth's tests were done. She hoped he was okay. He had gained consciousness, he could walk, so she determined he would be fine.

There was a knock on the door and she turned, expecting the nurse. It was Angela. Brennan sat there for a minute just starting at her until she broke down and let out a strangled sob.

"Sweetie," Angela whispered as she moved to Brennan's side and immediately took her into her arms and let her cry. "I'm sorry," she whispered and rubbed her back in soothing circles.

"Angela, I can't do this," she sobbed.

"Yes you can Brennan. You can. You have to. You're the strongest person I know. You can do anything."

"Thanks Ange," she smiled and wiped away her tears.

"Booth is in his room. He wants to see you."

"Uh," she said and hesitated. She looked back at her father and sighed. "I don't want to leave him, Ange."

"I'll stay with him. Go see Booth sweetie. I heard he's driving everyone crazy because all he wants to do is come to be with you."

Brennan smiled. "Okay. Will you page me if anything happens?"

"Of course I will," Angela said as Brennan stood up and Angela took her place.

Brennan left and Angela stared at Max. She couldn't believe the ordeal Brennan had been through. Angela took a deep breath and sighed.

"You have no idea how much you're going to break her heart if you don't get through this."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Brennan made her way to Booth's room, and stopped herself before walking in. she prepared herself for what she was about to see and turned the handle.

She saw him and tears came to her eyes. His head was bandaged, his arm was in a sling, and his ribs were wrapped.

"Booth, you're okay," she said and he managed a weak smile.

"Yeah Bones, I'm okay," he said as he reached out to her.

Brennan grabbed his hands and sat on the bed. She reached a hand up and caressed his face.

"Heard you wanted to see me," she said.

"How's your dad?" he asked.

"He's in a coma. They don't think -" she was cut off by her emotion. She couldn't say it.

"Hey Bones, it's gonna be okay," he whispered to her and she buried herself in him. It hurt him like crazy, but it was necessary pain for her.

He rubbed her back and comforted her.

"Bones, I have to tell you something," Booth said and she looked up.

"What?" she asked and noticed he wouldn't look her in the eye as he put his head down. Just then she was paged to go back upstairs and she quickly hurried to the door.

"What did you want to tell me?" she asked before she reached the door.

"It can wait. Go," he said.

"Okay," she huffed and pulled on the handle.

"I love you Bones," he said before she was out the door.

"I love you too," she said as the door closed behind her.

"Damn it," Booth sighed as he leaned his head back against the pillow.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ange!" Brennan exclaimed as she reached her father's door. "What's going on?"

"His heart stopped again, Brennan. They're trying to get him back," Angela said in tears.

Brennan looked in the room and saw several doctors and nurses doing CPR. She walked in and a nurse tried to stop her, but she pushed forward. She walked to his side and touched his face. She could feel the coolness already beginning to set in.

"Stop," she said softly and calmly and she listened as the doctors wouldn't stop. "He doesn't want this. He's already gone."

The doctor slowly stopped the CPR and Brennan leaned down toward her father's ear as his heart rate began to drop rapidly and she whispered," I love you, dad." And with that she held his hand as his heart gave out and all life slipped from his body. She sat there for a few minutes with him as she heard one of the doctors pronounce the time of his death and Angela's sobs in the background.

Brennan couldn't cry. Not here at least. Once she was with Booth or at home, that's when she would allow herself to break down.

As the nurses came back in to prepare his body, she stood up and quietly left the room, leaving Angela alone.

Brennan made her way back to Booth's room and rushed in. all she wanted was to be comforted in his arms, but she noticed that he was asleep. She really needed to be with him right now so she walked over to the bed and climbed in next to him. She figured his medication had put him to sleep, and he'd be out for awhile. She didn't want to hurt him, but she still curled up close to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. She finally let the tears come. Tears for her father and tears for Booth, but most of all tears for herself. She never felt so selfish. After everything that happened all she could think about was how it affected her, not how this would affect Russ, Amy, the girls or Parker and even Rebecca. But she couldn't seem to care.

As she sobbed quietly she felt a strong arm come around her.

"Bones? What's wrong? What happened?" Booth asked.

"He died, Booth. He's dead," she sobbed into his chest.

Booth began stroking her hair and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm so sorry Bones," he said and she let out a deep cry. "It's okay. It's okay to cry. Let it out."

After what seemed an eternity, Brennan cried to sleep and Booth tried to make himself more comfortable with her in his arms.

He knew what she was going through, and he knew that she needed him more now than ever before, and that was why he couldn't tell her. It would only make the situation worse. He decided that he wouldn't tell her until the time was right. He knew she would be able to tell, but maybe with everything going on, she wouldn't notice. Although he doubted that.

All he could think about was if he didn't tell her, she would take that as him pushing her away, and if he did tell her she would push him away.

Either way it was a lose/lose situation.

All because the blow to the head he had received had caused him to go blind.


	8. Chapter 8

Enjoy!

Chapter 8:

Booth wondered what Brennan looked like curled up next to him. His one wish had always been to wake up, seeing her sleeping next to him. But he'd never be able to do that. He'd never be able to watch her sleep or stare into her blue orbs ever again. He couldn't help but feel sad that the last time he saw Bones' face was that last night. The look of horror on her face was not the way he wanted to remember seeing her for the last time, but he tried committing her picture to his memory anyway. It was amazing how he could remember her every feature. He was deathly afraid that he would forget her though as time went on. He knew this would push her away, and he also knew that he wouldn't be able to do his job anymore. His days as an FBI homicide investigator were over. Sure, he'd probably either be paid disability and never work again or he could try convincing Cullen to let him work a desk. He hated desk work, but at this point he didn't have a choice, he would take what he could get.

He also didn't know how to tell Brennan about his new disability. He didn't know how she would react. He knew it would scare her, but maybe she would surprise him and help him. He didn't know how he would do anything. He couldn't drive, he couldn't work, he couldn't read or watch TV or anything. Sure, he could learn Braille, but he could go crazy trying to learn that. It would be hard, but if he had Brennan by his side it would make the pain just a little more tolerable.

He felt Brennan stir next to him, and he smiled.

"Hey Bones," he said and she greeted him with a kiss on his lips. It took him by surprise since he wasn't really expecting it.

"Good morning," she said and he smiled, but didn't reply. She leaned her head back on his chest and said, "I thought it was a nicety to say good morning."

"It is Bones," he said smiling remembering the memory fondly. He always complained how she would never return his good mornings, and how he had explained to her that good morning had nothing to do with the actual morning at all, that it was just something to say to people. A way to be polite, to greet them.

"Thank you. For last night," she said after a comfortable silence. "You are very comforting to me when I need you."

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she answered.

"Not physically Bones. Your dad died last night, that is pretty difficult to deal with."

"Oh," she answered. "I'm hurt, it's like when I found out about my mother. It's like a piece of me is missing which is totally illogical unless I was murdered and dismembered. I can't explain it."

"He was a part of your life, Bones. He was a part of you so it really does make sense when you say a part of you is missing. It is. With your dad gone, nothing is going to be the same. It's part of the grieving process."

"I suppose. I still don't understand it," she admitted.

"It's okay, you don't have to. Some things just can't be explained. Sometimes there is no specific answer."

"I can accept that," she said.

"Really?" he asked unbelievingly.

"Yes. Not all things can be explained scientifically so it makes sense."

There was another comfortable silence and Booth thought now was a good time to tell her before she found out on her own. She must have read his mind though because as soon as he was about to open his mouth she asked, "What was it you wanted to tell me last night?"

"Oh. Um. Well, the doctors did a CAT scan and they found something," he told her slowly, trying not to scare her in the process.

She immediately got off the bed and began reaching for his chart.

"Bones, what are you doing?" he asked quickly before she had a chance to read it.

"Well, you said they found something. I'm going to look at the scans and see if there is something we can do about it," she said and opened the chart.

"Bones, it's not what you --" he was cut off by an "Oh my God," escaping from Brennan.

"Think," Booth finished and hung his head.

"You're blind?" she asked.

"Bones, please…" he said, but she cut him off again.

"No," she stopped and closed her eyes, not looking at him. Not like it would matter anyway, she thought to herself. "Yes or no?" she asked.

"Yes."

There was another silence, and Booth was debating on whether or not to break the silence.

"Bones?" he asked, hoping she was still there.

"I'm still here," she answered. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I tried, but you got paged, and I couldn't tell you last night. Bones, I'm so sorry. I can't…there's nothing I can do about it," he said.

"I know that, Booth. It's just a lot to deal with right now. With everything. Is everything else okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, a few broken ribs aside, but they'll be fine."

"Booth, I'm sorry," she stopped and took a deep breath, "but I can't stay," she said slowly as she stood up and put the chart back, grabbing her things. Despite his lack of sight, he still managed to grab a hold of her arm and she paused in her haste, closing her eyes savoring his touch.

"Please don't go. Don't push me away. I need you, Bones. Please don't go," he begged her, and she felt a few tears escape and roll down her cheeks.

"I can't do this right now. Please try to understand. I have to go," she said as she slowly bent down and kissed his lip slowly and tenderly. A sob escaped him as she pulled away from him. "Goodbye," she said and turned away. She opened the door and paused in the doorway, taking him in one last time.

"Bones, I love you. Please remember that," he said and with that he heard the door close behind her. He ran a hand through his hair and the tears began to fall. He didn't bother to wipe them away. There was no point. The tears wouldn't stop. They'd never stop until she was back with him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Brennan reached her car in the parking garage. She fiddled with the keys to her car as her hands shook. She couldn't believe what was happening. She and Booth had finally gotten together and were truly happy, and all that had been taken from her.

She finally got her car door open and once inside, she broke down. All of the tears came out as a result of the anger and frustration she was feeling. Booth was blind and her father was dead, and for once she couldn't understand why or even begin to compartmentalize the events that had unfolded over those last 48 hours. She loved Booth, but she couldn't be with him now for several reasons. One being that her father had died and she needed to take care of his arrangements. Secondly, she didn't know how to be there for Booth. She didn't know how to help him with this. She knew how much this would frustrate him, having to learn to see with the rest of his senses, but she couldn't watch him go through it. She loved him too much. Besides, he had his family and Parker to help him through it, he wouldn't even need her.

She remembered back in the hospital room. She couldn't believe she had missed that, all of the signs had been there right in front of her. How could she have missed them? She figured since she was under so much stress right now it could have been missed by anyone.

She sat behind the wheel and cried for a few minutes before composing herself and driving away. For a minute, she seriously thought about going back to him and holding him in her arms, comforting him letting him know that she was there for him and always would be, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't believe she had walked out on the one person in the world who had always been there for her and loved her. He would never leave her like everyone else in her life had, and if something had ever happened to her, she knew he would never turn his back on her like she had done.

She just drove. She needed to get away. Far away from the hospital and far away from Booth.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Okay, so there's a lot of dialogue in this chapter, but I tried to even it out a little. It's not the best chapter ever, but I have some things in mind for future chapters, just not sure how I want to go about it yet, but I will try to update as soon as possible. Enjoy!

Chapter 9:

"Hey Stud," Angela said as she walked into Booth's room. She saw Booth's tear-stained face before he had the chance to turn away.

"Hey Angela," he said, wiping away the tears.

"What's wrong? Where's Brennan?" she asked, worry evident in her voice.

"I told her something, and she….she ran away. She was … upset."

"What did you tell her? Because if you broke her heart, I will break your face," Angela threatened.

"No. At least, I hope not."

"What do you mean you hope not?" Angela asked.

"Sit down," Booth said.

"I am sitting down. What's going on Booth?" she asked. She knew something was wrong by the way Booth wouldn't look at her.

"I'm blind Angela," he said and heard her gasp from where she sat. He felt a warm hand wrap around his as tears again gathered in his eyes.

"Sweetie, how?"

"They hit me over the head with some kind of pipe. It damaged my occipital lope. They're pretty sure it's a permanent thing. It's amazing how much your life can change because of one simple thing."

"Is this what you told Brennan?" Angela asked gently.

"Yes, and she just walked out. She said it was too much to handle right now. She said goodbye Angela. She said that she couldn't stay. I begged her, but she…she didn't listen to me. I feel like I've lost her forever."

"I know. Listen, I'm going to go find her and bring her back."

"How?" Booth asked, turning in Angela's direction.

"I know how to talk sense into her. She'll listen to me. Don't worry, I'll get her to come back. Trust me. You hold tight, I'll be back," Angela said as she leaned forward, kissing Booth's check, then heading for the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Brennan sat on the ground near the tree. It was the tree where her father had stood watching her that one time she had come, where Booth had stood while she talked to her mom. This place held great significance to her. Even though she didn't believe that her mother could hear her, she came anyway. She believed Angela when she said it was like honoring herself. She came to clear her head, to think about things. It was the only place she could think of to go after this.

She sat staring at her mother's headstone. She had brought flowers like always and she had brought two bouquets this time. One bouquet was for her father who was to be buried right beside her mother within the next couple of days. She laid both of them on the ground and kneeled down. She was overwhelmed with grief and sadness. She had never felt so hopeless in her life. Both of her parents were dead, and the man that she loved with her whole heart was blind. His life could never be the same, and she didn't know how to help him or even support him in his new life. She couldn't let Booth down like that.

She stayed in that position for a long amount of time, she didn't know how long she had been there, but when she suddenly shivered from the growing coldness, she looked up at the tree, leaves blowing swiftly in the breeze. She closed her eyes and took deep calming breaths until she heard a voice startle her.

"I figured you would be here."

"Hi, Angela. How did you know I was here?"

"It isn't that hard to figure you out, Sweetie. I talked to Booth."

"I don't want to talk about it, Angela," Brennan said and stood up, moving toward her car.

"I think you have to. Bren, you can't just forget that this happened. You can't push Booth away just because you're scared," Angela said and Brennan stopped in her tracks, turning back to face Angela.

"I can't help him Ange. I just…I can't watch him go through that," she said tears flowing down her cheeks. She never let her emotions take complete control over her in front of others, but she trusted Angela completely, and she knew that she could trust her with anything. Angela would help her through this.

"Why not?"

"I've always been used to being in control. I like being in control. I can't control this. I can't do anything to help him. I can't make this go away."

"No, you can't."

"Then there's no reason for me to disappoint him by being there and not being able to do anything for him," Brennan sighed.

"Sweetie, Booth loves you. Do you really think that he doesn't want you to be there with him? He knows that there's nothing that anybody can do. There's just some things that aren't in our control, and Booth knows this. He's accepted it. He doesn't need you to fix him. He needs you to just be there for him. Just be there. Just support him. You don't have to be a miracle for him. Just be Temperance. That's all he wants."

Brennan's face softened and she understood. She realized for the first time that she and Booth were a team, if she left they would all fall apart. The center wouldn't hold. She had to help him through this any way that she could, even if he wasn't the same person anymore.

"You're right," she said and rushed to her car, while Angela stood there smiling to herself.

Brennan rushed back to the hospital as fast as she could. She pulled into the parking garage and quickly hurried to the elevator. She rushed to Booth's room and flew open the door, expecting Booth to be sitting up in bed, but the room was empty. There was a nurse pulling bedding off the bed.

"May I help you?"

"I'm looking for Agent Booth," Brennan said worried that something had happened to him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," the nurse said and Brennan felt tears coming on again. She hung her head until the nurse said, "They moved him. Just down the hall. Room 20."

"Thank you," Brennan said and began running down the hall toward the room.

She took a deep breath before putting her hand on the handle and opening the door.

"Who's there?" Booth asked.

"It's me," she answered.

"You came back," he whispered.

"I had to come back. I was so stupid to have left you. I'm so sorry," she said and tears ran down her face at how selfish she had been.

"I understand, Bones. It's okay. Come here," he said and reached his hands out.

Brennan rushed into his arms and hugged him tightly. She didn't want to hurt him, but she wasn't going to let go anytime soon.

They stayed that way for a few moments before Brennan turned and looked at him.

"Things are going to be okay. I promise you that," Brennan said to him. "And I'll be here for you. Through everything."

"Thank you Bones. I love you," he said and she smiled.

"I love you," she said and laid her head back down on his chest. "I'm still scared though."

"I am too. You have no idea."

"What's it like?"

"What?" he asked, not sure what he meant.

"What's it like to be blind?" she asked, curious.

"Bones," he scolded.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to be derogatory, I was just curious."

"It's scary. You realize how much you take for granted until it's gone. You never realize how beautiful things are until you can't see them anymore. You never know who's going to be walking in the door until you ask who they are. Everything is just … black. You hear things, little things you would never ever hear if it weren't for being blind. It's true that all of your other senses get stronger. It's different that's for sure."

"I'm sorry that this is happening, and it's all my fault," she said. "I never wanted to hurt you, and I put your life in so much danger."

"Bones, you saved my life. Don't blame yourself for this. They did this. You had nothing to do with it."

"I believe you," she said.

"I was afraid you wouldn't want me anymore."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because I have a lot of needs now. I mean, I can live on my own, but I'm going to need help just walking to the bathroom. You don't deserve that kind of life, Bones. You deserve so much more than that. So much more than me."

"Don't say that. Ever. You are more than enough for me. You are all I would ever want. You are all I need to get through my day. Nothing else matters. I would quit my job to be with you all day long if I had to. I don't care. You are the only thing that matters to me in this world. I thought that I wouldn't be able to handle it because I felt like I couldn't do anything for you to help you, but if I can help you walk to the bathroom in the middle of the night I'll do it. In a second," she said.

"Who knew you would turn out to be such a romantic Bones," Booth said and smiled.

"Yes. I am a constant surprise," she smiled and reached up, cupping Booth's face in her hands and touching her lips lightly to his.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to update, things have just been incredibly busy with school, but I hope people are still interested in this story. I hope that you all like this chapter, I tried to make it a lot longer to compensate for the time in between updates  This chapter has a lot of B/B interaction and a lot of Parker/Booth interaction. I hope you all will review it and ENJOY!

Chapter 10:

The next morning Brennan awoke and saw Booth was already awake. She didn't want to scare him so she kissed him gently along his jaw-line. She felt him smile and his grip on her tightened.

"Good morning," he said and she sighed.

"Good morning," she replied and proceeded to lie back against him again. "What are you doing awake?"

"I couldn't sleep," Booth said and hoped that answer would pacify her. It didn't.

"Why?" she asked.

"I don't know Bones. I just couldn't."

"Well Booth, there has to be a logical explanation for the insomnia," Brennan said.

"Well, I guess I have a lot on my mind."

"You mean you were thinking?" Brennan asked.

"You're getting good with the figures of speech, Bones," he said, surprised.

"Well, I have been trying to not take things so literally. So, what were you thinking about?"

"A lot of things. My job, how I'm going to walk, manage stairs. Not just that kind of thing, but what I'm going to tell Parker and Rebecca. I mean God Bones, what if Rebecca won't let me take Parker anymore because I can't see?" Booth rambled, and Brennan felt truly sorry for him. She didn't really know what to say. She had never met anyone who was visually impaired so she didn't even really know how to begin to help him.

"You're jumping to conclusions, Booth. You shouldn't think that way until you've figured some things out and talked to Rebecca."

Booth let out a breath, and she could see how much he had changed already given his newfound disability.

"Maybe you should talk to Sweets. I'm sure he could really help you cope with this," Brennan told him. "And I'm here for you. I'm always here for you. We're partners."

"Bones, will you," he hesitated a moment before continuing, "Will you be there with me when I tell Rebecca and Parker?"

"Of course," she answered. "And I'm sure Rebecca won't keep you from Parker. You're a great father and a terrific influence of him. Anthropologically, she never should have kept Parker away from you in the first place. You have been more than capable of taking care of Parker."

"Thanks Bones," he said smiling, "but when Parker was born I wasn't capable of taking care of him."

"You weren't?" she asked surprised.

"Yeah, I had just gotten my job at the FBI and we never expected she would get pregnant. She wanted to have an abortion," Booth admitted.

"She did? You never told me that," Brennan paused. "Why?"

"Well, we weren't married, and Rebecca never wanted children. She was very focused on her career. I talked her out of the abortion. I guess she was more scared than anything that she wouldn't be able to take care of him. So I proposed to her, and she said no. She said she would have the baby and then I could take care of him," Booth said. "I didn't know the first thing about babies, I didn't know how to hold a baby or change a diaper, but I decided I would just have to do it because it was my responsibility. I bought everything for him. I set up a whole room in my apartment for him. I bought a car seat, crib, clothes. I spent all of my extra time painting his room. And then when he was born, she let me name him and then she said she changed her mind; that when he was born she changed and said she loved him so much she couldn't let him go."

"Oh Booth," Brennan said, and she could hear the hurt in his voice and see the tears forming in his eyes. "I'm so sorry."

"Yeah. I tried fighting for him, but we were never married and given my job, I never would've gotten custody of Parker."

"I can't imagine what that must have been like for you Booth, having to give up your son."

"Yeah, that's part of the reason why I started gambling. I figured that at least it wasn't drugs or alcohol, but it has the same overpowering effect."

"I thought you started gambling because of what happened when you were a sniper?"

"Well, I guess that was a part of it, but Parker put it over the top. The gambling really put Rebecca off. I could barely afford to keep my apartment let alone provide for Parker. Whatever money I made working just seemed to disappear," Booth revealed.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Brennan asked.

"I figured that you deserved to know my past. I know yours, you should know mine."

"I don't care about being equal, Booth. I told you those things because I wanted you to know, not because I felt I had an obligation to tell you."

"The thing is Bones, that I felt so helpless back then. I never told anyone about any of it. I never told anyone about Parker and the gambling. I couldn't help myself and no one could help me. And now, I feel exactly the same way. I feel completely helpless. I can't even help myself," Booth said.

"I'm not very good with comforting, but you're not alone in this. We're all here to help you Booth, and I will do everything I can to make sure you keep your job," she said strongly.

"Thanks Bones, but I'm not sure anyone can help me keep my job. Not much a blind man can do."

"Well, if you're not my partner, I won't be working on cases anymore," she said defiantly.

"Bones, you can't quit your job. You're the best anthropologist out there. And there are people out there who are in need of being identified. They need their story told, Bones. They die in vain if their killers aren't brought to justice, and you're the only hope they have."

"I don't want to work with anyone else, Booth. No killer can be brought to justice unless I'm working with you. Without you, I can't do my job properly."

"Bones, you can't give it up," Booth told her.

"I'm not going to. I'm going to find a way for you to keep your job as I said."

"Bones, I'm blind. If you don't have 20/20 vision you can't work at the FBI."

"But the fact that you've worked there for so long and you have a superb record has to count for something."

"Not in the FBI. I'm a liability now. I'm lucky if I get a job ever again."

"That's not going to happen," she said.

"How do you know that?"

"I'm sure I can find something for you at the Jeffersonian. You can help us with solving cases. You can help us out around there."

Booth took a deep breath and she noticed that he didn't really want to carry the conversation much further.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm pushing too hard."

"No, it's not you. I just…I'm so frustrated that I have nothing. I don't know what to do with my life now."

"There are things that you could do. Like, you could teach at an institution."

"What would I teach?"

"Whatever you feel passionate about I suppose," she said.

"I don't know. I just don't feel like doing anything anymore. I feel like all the life has been drained from me, and I don't know how to get that back," he said with tears rolling down his face.

She wanted to say the right thing, and every time she's tried doing that in the past it always came out as the wrong thing, but she figured Booth would understand even if it didn't turn out the way she had hoped.

"I don't know how either, but I think that the first step would be to just start living again. It's going to take awhile for you to learn your way around again. To learn how to get around your apartment, but you're going to learn. And once you do that you'll be able to start doing the things that you like to do again."

"Bones, the only thing I know how to do is protect people, and I can't do that anymore."

"Well, what else do you like to do?" she asked.

"I don't know. I like to play music," he admitted.

"Really?" she asked surprised. "What instrument do you play?"

"Do you promise not to laugh?"

"I promise," she said honestly.

"I played the flute," he admitted and she began to snicker.

"You're laughing," he said and turned away from her.

"I'm sorry it's just that most females are prone to playing the flute, not males. Did you play anything else?"

"The piano," he answered, "I played for a long time. I still try to, I just…I can't afford a piano."

"I'm learning a whole new side to you," she said lightly.

"Yeah. Well, I painted too," he said.

"I never took you as a fine arts aficionado," she said joking. "I like this side of you."

"Yeah, well I guess painting is out. How can you paint if you can't see?"

"I'm sure people have done it before, and you can too. Booth you are capable of whatever you set your mind to," she tried to encourage him.

"When did you become philosophical?" he laughed. "Thanks Bones. What you said really made me feel a lot better."

"I guess this would be a good time to tell you that I called Rebecca after you fell asleep last night. She's on her way with Parker now."

"Thanks for the warning Bones," Booth said jokingly and then he kissed the top of her head and said, "Thanks for calling her. I was going to do that this morning anyway. Did you tell her?"

"I told Rebecca, yes, but Parker doesn't know. We both agreed maybe it would be better if you tried explaining it to him."

"Good idea," he said and as soon as he was finished there was a knock on the door.

Brennan got off the bed and walked over and opened the door, revealing Rebecca standing there with Parker.

"Hey Bones," Parker said excitedly as he hugged her around her legs.

"Hi Parker. It's nice to see you," she said as she hugged him back.

Booth smiled from where he sat on the bed at hearing the exchange between his girlfriend and his son. Parker had quite the effect on Brennan that Booth never expected, and they loved each other. Booth was happy to know that his son loved the woman he was in love with.

Parker then switched his attention to Booth and ran over to him.

"Daddy!" he called out.

"Hey buddy," Booth said looking in the general direction of where Parker's voice came from.

"Dad, I have something for you. I made it when I got up early this morning."

Brennan turned to Rebecca when they saw Parker take out a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket. Brennan had a look of shock on her face that matched Rebecca's. She had no idea that Parker had done that.

"What is it Buddy?" Booth asked.

"I drew you a picture. Look, this is you and this is me and we're playing football. Dad, when I come to spend the weekend with you can we play football again?" Parker asked, his big eyes looking at Booth.

When he noticed that Booth wouldn't look at him, he seemed to get worried.

"Bones, Rebecca, could I have a minute alone with Parker, please?" Booth asked and the two women replied before leaving the room.

"Parker, did mommy tell you that I was in an accident?" Booth asked his son who was looking at the picture that he had drawn for his father.

"Yeah. She said that you got hit in the head, but that you'd be okay," Parker said.

"That's right. I'm going to be okay. But Parker, when I was hit in the head, something happened to my brain. Do you know when you fall down and then a black and blue mark forms?"

"Yeah," Parker answered.

"Well, when I was hit in the head a part of my brain got really black and blue and it got hurt pretty badly."

"Which part of your brain was it?"

"Right in the back here" Booth said pointing to the back of his head. "And these different parts of your brain control parts of your body. Like this part up here," Booth said pointing to the front side of his brain, "This part helps you remember things. And this part helps with your hearing. And the part where I was hit is for seeing," Booth said, hoping that his son would understand what he was trying to explain to him.

"Did it hurt your eyes?" Parker asked.

"Kind of. When that part of the brain got hurt it also hurt my eyesight, so now I can't see anything."

"So, you can't see me right now?" Parker asked sadly.

"No I can't, Buddy. And I'm sorry that I can't see your picture either, I really wish I could."

"Me too, but it's okay Dad, I understand," Parker said. "Does that mean we can't play football anymore?"

"We can still play football. I just won't be able to throw or catch the ball, but you can still tackle me," Booth said and the little boy laughed.

"That's my favorite part," Parker admitted and grinned.

"That's my favorite part too. We can still hang out together, I just won't be able to see, that's all. But we can still talk and eat mac and cheese, and do all the fun things we did before," Booth said as the boy snuggled into his arms.

"Good. Can Bones come too, Dad? I really like it when she hangs out with us," Parker asked.

"Of course she'll be there. She likes hanging out with you too."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes and Booth thought that maybe Parker had fallen asleep, but Parker was just sitting there thinking.

"Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah bud?" Booth asked.

"I love you even if you can't see anything," Parker said and Booth grinned as tears threatened to spill.

"I love you too buddy," he said as he hugged his little boy tight to his chest.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Okay, so I am so incredibly sorry that it's taken me this long to update. I have had so much work to do with my semester and I'm working on transferring schools, and it's been really hectic, but here it is. Since it's nearing the end of the semester, I'll have a lot more free time to write and hopefully I won't get stuck. Anyway, to make up for the wait, this is a longer chapter, so hopefully you all enjoy it. It was fun to write, but not one of the best chapters. Enjoy and review!!!!

Chapter 11

Several Months Later

"Booth! Let's go! We're going to be late!" Brennan shouted to Booth.

"I'm coming Bones! Chill!" Booth said as he walked out with his cane.

"I don't have time to chill, Seeley. I'm on a schedule," Brennan said as she grabbed his arm and began moving toward the door.

"Bones, it's just a doctor appointment," he said as he let her lead him through the hallway and down to the first floor.

"Yes. I have to take you to the appointment and then wait for you and then we have to get to the Jeffersonian, especially since it's your first day back on the job."

"Bones, it's not like I'm new at this. I know how to do the job, I just can't see, that's all," he said as he opened the front side passenger door.

"Booth, this may be harder than you think, you could be rusty," Brennan argued.

"I'll be fine, trust me," he said.

"I do trust you. It's just, I don't want you to be disappointed if it's not the way it used to be."

"Well, I hope for your sake, it's exactly the same as it used to be."

Booth's appointment went on as normal. The doctor said that Booth's eyesight wasn't improving. After the accident, the doctor said that the loss could only be temporary, but the bruising in Booth's brain hadn't healed satisfactorily.

To say Booth was disappointed was an understatement. He had learned to live and accept his disability over the last few months, but he still wanted nothing more than to regain his sight. Brennan had surprised him when she had insisted that he move into her apartment. He had expected that he would just learn to get around his apartment on his own, but he never expected that she would be willing to let him move in and help him. With her help, he had gained a lot of his independence back, which Brennan was also grateful for. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life with someone completely dependent on her, having to wait on him hand and foot. She had done extensive research on how to teach a blind person certain skills. She had taught him how to count his steps and how to use his hearing to make sure he didn't run into people in public. He had become rather good at it as well. Of course he often became frustrated with himself in the beginning, but he was so determined to learn that he never became too discouraged to the point of giving up. Except one time.

Brennan had helped him with that as well. Since the beginning of the relationship, he had noticed a big difference in her personal skills, as well as her nonverbal communication. She knew when he was on the brink of giving up, and she recalled the previous conversation they had in the church after he had rescued her from the Gravedigger.

"I knew you wouldn't give up," she said and he had echoed her words. And she had reminded him of that very conversation.

FLASHBACK

"_So, you're just going to give up?" Brennan asked incredulously. She was standing over Booth as he sat on the floor, looking defeated._

"_I can't do it, Bones. It's just too hard," he said._

"_Too hard? Was it too hard when you saved that drowning kid from Gormogon or when you pulled me out of the car after we got blown up? Not to mention you recovered from a severe gun shot wound and escaped from that ship. Clearly, this is not harder than anything you've ever done before."_

"_Bones, simmer down. You're starting to sound like a drill sergeant."_

"_Why are you giving up?"_

"_Bones, I just ran into a wall. The other day, I was almost hit by a car and I fell into the toilet," Booth complained._

"_Well, how else do you expect to learn, Booth?" Brennan asked as she reached down and helped him up, making sure he didn't hit his head against the wall he had just ran into._

"_Bones, I know I said I could do this, but I just… I don't think that I can anymore," he said as he made his way to what he thought was the couch and sat down._

"_Booth, you're sitting on the coffee table."_

_He let out a groan, turning and finding the couch._

"_See what I mean?" he asked._

"_You're just having a bad week. It happens. It can only get better from here," she said sitting next to him and taking his hand._

"_You said that last week after I burned my hand on the stove," he said as he help up his bandaged hand as proof._

"_Booth, I know I said that before, but you knew this was going to be difficult. We all knew it. You've made tremendous progress," she said and Booth turned to her and made his 'who are you trying to kid' face. "That wasn't any better?" she asked._

"_No," he said and let out a deep sigh, running a hand through his hair as Brennan tried to think of some encouraging words, something that she was not very good at._

"_Do you remember when you took me to that church, after you found us?" she asked._

"_Yeah."_

"_Do you remember what I said to you that day?" she asked._

"_You said, what's that smell," he said._

"_What? No, not that," Brennan said. "I told you that I knew that you would never give up. And do you remember what you told me?"_

"_I knew you wouldn't give up," Booth answered._

"_I've never given up on you, especially now. So what makes you think that you can give up on yourself?" Brennan asked._

_Tears came to Booth's eyes and she saw all of the anger and frustration truly coming out._

"_It's so hard, Bones."_

"I know, but I'm here. And I'm gonna help you through this. It's just going to take time. I'm not going to give up on you, even if you give up on yourself," she said and she saw his face soften.

"_Thanks, Bones. I'm not going to give up. Let's try again," he said standing up, bringing a smile to Brennan's face._

"_Okay. Are you ready?" she asked and he nodded. "Okay, it's 5 steps to the wall, 10 steps to the bedroom. Remember to turn when you get to the wall," she reminded him._

"_Got it. When did you become so encouraging?" he asked, trying to start a conversation._

"_Just focus on counting your steps, Booth," she ordered._

"_Yes, Sergeant," he saluted her._

_She watched as he began counting his steps for the wall, and she noticed he wasn't turning._

"_Booth! Turn, you're gonna hit the --" she was cut off by a loud thud and 190 pounds of Booth hit the floor. She winced as she heard him groan in pain. "Wall," she finished._

"_Thanks for the warning, Bones. After our lesson, you're going out and buying me a helmet and body pads," he said as he stood to try again._

"_Yes, sir," she answered._

END FLASHBACK

"Bones, are we there? You stopped the car," Booth asked from the passenger seat, tearing her from her thoughts.

"Yes, we are here," she said as he unbuckled her seatbelt and exited the car.

"You do know that once my sight comes back that you can't drive anymore, right?" he asked as they made their way into the Jeffersonian.

"Don't push it," she said as she opened the door for him.

"But Bones, I always drive," he said.

"Not anymore. How many times do I have to tell you that I'm a good driver?" she asked.

"I see you're back to your old selves," a voice came from behind them, causing them both to jump.

Booth recognized the voice, but was still startled.

"Sweets, please don't ever to that again," Booth tried to say in a calm tone, but it still sounded threatening.

Brennan heard this and put her hand on Booth's arm to calm him.

"I apologize, Agent Booth. I was just anxious about your first day back," Sweets said, defending himself.

"Thanks Sweets, I'm all good to go," Booth said as he turned from him and continued making his way toward the platform.

"How is he really doing, Dr. Brennan?" Sweets asked.

"Well, to be honest, I believe Booth is a little disappointed after the appointment we had. He'll be okay. He's ready to be back at work, Sweets," Brennan said. When she heard Booth call her name she turned and followed him.

"Hey Bones, where's my office?" Booth asked when he heard her approach. The FBI had decided that he would still be handling homicide investigations alongside another FBI agent and the Jeffersonian team.

"I'm not sure. I'll find Cam. She should know. Come with me," she said as she held out her arm for Booth to take and she guided him as she walked to Cam's office.

"Dr. Saroyan?"

"Yes, Dr. Brennan? Oh, hi Booth. Welcome back," she said.

"Thanks, Cam. Hey, where's my office?" he asked her.

"Oh. We didn't really have any open space so I put your things in Dr. Brennan's office."

"My office? Why my office?" Brennan asked.

"I figured since you two spend majority of your time together and when you're not together, you're always on the phone, it would be easier if you were in the same office. It works."

"But we might kill each other," Brennan argued.

"We will not Bones. We just bicker. A lot," Booth said.

"Exactly, thank you," Brennan said.

"You two act that way whether you share an office or not. So deal," Cam said and Brennan slumped away in defeat.

She walked away, leaving Booth alone.

"Bones. Hey," he called out, but she must have been too angry to hear him.

"Can you make it back to her office?" Cam asked.

"I'll manage," he said and used his cane, trying to follow the sound of Brennan's steps.

He made it and was standing in the doorway as she stared at her office.

"Bones, it's really not that big of a deal is it?" Booth asked her. He was a little hurt that she didn't want to share an office with her, but she had a point. They did bicker a lot, sharing an office could definitely cause them more stress.

"This is my office. This is my space. I come here when…" she stopped herself and she sat down in her chair.

"You come here when what?" Booth asked her, he could tell she was obviously upset.

"I come here to get away from everything. When I need a break, this is where I come. You once said that I need 'me' time whatever that is, and I guess I was stupid to listen to you because I won't get it here. This is where I come to be alone. This is where I think and write, and…never mind, the arrangement will be fine."

"Bones, I get it. I like having my office too," he said as he came over to her. "And I promise that when you need your time and your space, I can get out of here. You just need to tell me," he said.

"I overreacted. I'm sorry. I just needed time to…"

Booth cut her off, "Rationalize. I know. I know you, Bones."

She laughed. "You do. Just don't go using my password to get information, you come to me. Got it?"

"Bones, I wouldn't know your password. I can't see, remember?" he asked, chuckling.

"Oh yeah, right. Well, good then. I mean not good that you can't see, but good that…"

He laughed again and cut her off by putting his lips on hers. "I got it, Bones. Everything will work out fine, I promise." He kissed her again, this time with much more passion, and they started to get carried away.

"Okay," she said and she saw Angela standing in the doorway. "Hi Angela."

"Welcome back Booth. As much as I would love to know what happens behind closed doors, I really don't need to see it," she laughed.

"Did you need something, Angela?" Brennan asked as she and Booth both blushed.

"The bones arrived," she announced and Brennan stood up almost happily as she grabbed her lab coat and followed Angela out of the office.

"Bones?" Booth asked. "We have a case?"

"Yes, are you coming?" Brennan asked.

"Yeah," he said and happily followed them to the platform.

"Okay Wendell, what do we have?" Brennan asked as she grabbed a pair of gloves and began to stare at the remains.

"It's another body, Dr. Brennan. Same characteristics as the others," Wendell replied.

"What others?" Booth asked.

"Oh, we've had several cases recently in which all of the victims were females, mid to late 50s. They all seem to have the same wound on the bones, all on the ribs, in the same place. All causes of death have been the same, blunt force trauma to the head. All of the damage to the ribs occurred postmortem," Brennan caught Booth up.

"So you think it's a serial killer?" Booth asked.

"Well, there is no concrete evidence, but I am comfortable with that assessment," she said as she went back to staring at the newest set of remains.

"This woman is also in her mid to late 50s, same marks on the ribs. And by this mark on the skull, cause of death seems to be blunt force trauma to the head. We still haven't determined a weapon," Brennan said. "Angela, will you be able to do a facial reconstruction?"

"Sure," Angela said as she headed back toward her office and Brennan began taking off her gloves.

"Wendell, keep searching for a possible murder weapon."

"Yes, Dr. Brennan."

She grabbed Booth's arm and he followed her off the platform.

"Bones, where were all of the victims found?"

"All of the victims were found in cemeteries, all at the same stage of decomposition. All also had some kind of medallion around their neck. Angela has been working on that."

"It's definitely a serial," Booth said.

"Booth, you can't know that, the evidence…"

"Bones, you know it is. We just…let's just focus on getting this guy before he kills someone else, okay?" Booth said and walked away from her.

LATER THAT DAY

Booth and Brennan sat in silence on the couch with Sweets in front of them. Booth, again uncomfortable with being psychoanalyzed, sat in a slouched position bouncing his knee up and down. Brennan sat with her hand against her head, very comfortable with the silence. And Sweets just sat there staring at their behavior.

"Sweets, would you please just say something?" Booth finally said after he could no longer take the silence.

"How has your first day been going?" he asked.

"Fine, thanks. Can we get back to work now?" Booth asked.

"Our session isn't over for another 15 minutes," Sweets said.

"45 minutes of which has been spent in silence. Is another 15 minutes of silence really going to make a difference?" Brennan asked.

"Possible," Sweets answered. "Tell me about your latest case."

"It's a serial killer," Booth said, which gained a glare from Brennan.

"Booth, we don't know that. Just because all of the victims have been killed in the same manner and all have the same wounds and the fact that they were all found in cemeteries does not mean that it's a serial killer."

"I think Booth is right, Dr. Brennan," Sweets said.

"Ha, thank you," Booth said triumphantly. "See."

"But Dr. Sweets, there is no evidence to support that. We have no suspect."

"Dr. Brennan, with all do respect what you described to me about the victims sounds like a serial killer to me. I'd be happy to do a psychological profile for you," Sweets said.

"That'd be great. Let's go Bones," Booth said as he started to get up off the couch.

"But first, let's finish out the session with some role playing."


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Okay, so I apologize for completely neglecting this. My summer has been incredibly hectic since the semester ended. I was expecting to take summer classes, but not right away, a lot of unexpected things happened, and my life has been crazy ever since and I hadn't gotten a good chance to write until a day or two ago. I tried extending the chapter to make it worth the wait, and I tried to make it really good. I'm not very good at writing cases, but I tried to make it a little interesting. I hope you all enjoy it. Also, in this chapter the format is a little bit different. Things jump around a little bit, but you will be able to follow, I promise. And I'm starting to work on these next couple of chapters, the end is soon near, but I do have another story in the works so look out for that, I have no idea when that will be coming up, but hopefully soon. So, happy reading and I hope that you all enjoy it and please REVIEW! It means a lot. Enjoy!

Chapter 12:

Sweets walked into the Jeffersonian and headed toward Brennan's office searching for Booth and Brennan.

He reached the office and heard them bickering. It wasn't over the case either; it was about something totally different.

"Booth, tell me your password!" Brennan ordered as Booth sat on the couch.

"No Bones, its top secret and I can't just tell you," he said.

"How do you expect to fill out any paperwork? Plus, you know my password," she said.

"No, I don't. You changed it, remember?" he said.

"I thought you knew me, Booth, that you could predict all of my possible passwords."

"It's hyoid."

"How did you know that?" she asked.

"It's your favorite bone, not to mention it's probably the shortest name," Booth said, "I know you."

"Ugh! Just tell me your password so I can help you with your paperwork," she said stubbornly.

"Thank you, but I don't need help with my paperwork, okay? If I need your help, I promise that I will ask you for it."

"Fine and I'm changing my password. Again," she said as she sat at her desk, and Sweets came in.

"Dolphin," Booth said and he could sense Brennan glaring at him.

"Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth," Sweets announced his presence.

"Geeze Sweets, haven't you heard of knocking?"

"I apologize, Agent Booth. I have your profile of the killer," Sweets said.

"Do you think it's a serial killer, Sweets?" Booth asked.

"Totally. The killer is probably male; I'd say much younger, probably late teens early 20s. This guy is very smart and never leaves any traces at the scene, nothing that will lead you to him. Seeing as the victims are all the same age, he's killed them in the same manner, he's definitely obsessive compulsive. I believe that the way that the bodies have been discovered, he's trying to draw attention to something. He wants you to find the bodies; he wants to send you messages. It's a game to him."

"Does that remind you of someone?" Booth asked.

"Epps."

"Howard Epps is dead," Sweets said.

"Maybe he had another accomplice. I mean … I don't know. We need to find this guy, Bones," Booth said, becoming agitated.

"We will, Booth. I'm going to examine the bones again," she said, walking out of the office.

"Thanks for the profile Sweets, it was a big help," Booth said.

"You're welcome. Are you okay, Agent Booth?" he asked.

"I just feel helpless. I just … I can't do anything except put in my two cents. I can't do any interrogations or anything."

"Agent Booth, you are an integral part of the team, your skills are valued. Just because you can't do the physical aspect of the job doesn't mean that you aren't doing anything."

"Thanks Sweets, listen, can you do me a favor and log onto my computer for me and start a search?"

"Sure, what's your password?"

"Bones."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Bones, get this! Epps had a brother," Booth exclaimed as he made his way up the platform.

"Booth, Brennan isn't here," he heard Angela say.

"Well, where did she go?" he asked.

"Someone called her; she said she was meeting them at the diner. That was about an hour ago."

"Let's go, we're going to the diner," Booth said as he grabbed Angela and they left the Jeffersonian.

"Booth, what's going on?"

"Epps had a brother we never knew about. He was under the radar, I guess. He has a record. It's him, Angela."

"That's a pretty big leap, Booth. How do you know?" Angela asked as they reached her car.

"Just call it a gut feeling."

"Brennan would not like that."

"Let's just get to the diner. Bones is in trouble," Booth said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Brennan came to and had no idea where she was. She looked around and all she saw were cement walls. She tried reaching her arms out, but was met with strong resistance. Her hands and feet were both bound and she was having trouble breathing because of the gag in her mouth. She tasted a drug in the gag which must have caused her unconsciousness. If she didn't get some air, she would pass out again.

In the room there was a single door and no windows, she was engulfed in complete and total darkness. She guessed the room was especially small, equivalent to a small closet. Brennan had always been a tad claustrophobic and she tried closing her eyes, hoping that would help.

She didn't remember anything that had happened. She remembered leaving the Jeffersonian to go to the diner, but everything after that was a blur. She had gotten a call from someone claiming to have information about the case, but wanted to remain anonymous. She would have grabbed Booth on her way out, but she didn't have time. She didn't know who this mysterious person was, but if they wanted to speak to her and they had information, she wanted to know about it.

She felt herself succumbing to the drug again, and tried to fight it when darkness overcame her once more.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Booth was out of the car as soon as he felt it stop. He didn't need Angela to tell him they were there. He made his way into the diner with Angela close behind him.

"She's not here, Booth," Angela said as she looked around.

"Agent Booth?" he heard a voice call to him, and realized it was a waitress who was on duty whenever he and Brennan were there. "Someone left this for you," she said and handed a napkin to him.

Angela took it from him and gasped.

"What?" he asked.

"It's a riddle. I don't know what it means."

"Read it," Booth said and listened.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He bent down and watched her. He held the glass of water in his hand and splashed it in her face. He needed her to wake up. What fun would this be if she was unconscious?

He needed her to pay. Everything had been her fault.

He threw the water in her face and she coughed through the gag. He watched her eyes open slowly and he immediately saw the fear in them as she saw him for the first time.

"Hello, Dr. Brennan."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She recognized that voice, but from where? She couldn't quite place it, but she was sure she had never met this man before.

She tried to contain her fear, but it was getting the best of her as she saw the evil in his eyes. She would have spoken to him, but the gag in her mouth kept her silent.

"Don't try talking. Not yet anyway. First, we're going to have some fun. Afterwards, maybe I'll let you speak. I'm debating, should I tell you what I'm going to do to you or leave it as a surprise? I've always loved surprises," he said and she began to hyperventilate.

If only she had a way to free her hands she could fight this man, but that was impossible. She noticed that there was now a chair in the small room and before she could react she felt him yank her hair and pull her off the ground. She felt a strong pain in her head, but she managed to muffle back a grunt. Booth had always told her to never let them see the pain, that's what they wanted. She was definitely not the kind of person who gave people what they wanted; they at least had to work for it.

She wished Booth was there with her. He was a tremendous comfort to her, and as much as she prided herself in being independent, she didn't care anymore. She had found someone that she loved and that she would willingly spend the rest of her life with. They were total opposites, but somehow they just seemed to mesh together, making them perfect.

The man forced her into the chair, and she couldn't believe she was just sitting there. There was nothing she could do to fight back anyway. She was gagged and bound, and there was nowhere to run. She had no idea where she was, and she doubted if anyone even noticed if she was gone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Booth sat in Brennan's office, thinking. There wasn't much any of them could do. He had no idea what the clue meant, and he had a sinking feeling that they were running out of time. He kept repeating the words over and over in his head, but he couldn't come up with any meaning to them. He had the rest of the team working on it now, and there wasn't much more he could do.

He sat on her couch, trying to put himself in her shoes. He had the suspicion that the killer was definitely Howard Epps' brother, Harry. Harry Rollins, formerly known as Harry Epps was born in 1989, much younger than his older brother. When Harry was thrown out by his mother, his brother left him on the steps of a church, where he was taken in, that was how Howard had gotten the information on some of the girls who had gone to the school there. Harry had changed his name so there would be no trace and no connection to his brother. Harry had a history of misdemeanor offenses, nothing serious. He did have a couple counts of sexual harassment. No wonder, the guy was a sexual sadist.

Now he was following in his brother's footsteps, which didn't surprise him, the entire family was screwed up. They had no recent information on Harry, and the church said that one day he had just disappeared and no one had seen him since.

Booth heard footsteps approaching and heard Hodgins say, "I may know where she is."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Brennan closed her eyes tight as he hit her again, hard across the face. She knew how bruised she must be by now. She had endured many hits to the face and blows to the stomach, not to mention she had been knocked out with a blow to the head. She didn't know how much more of this she could take. She was in a lot of pain, and even though she was strong, she couldn't fight back. She was completely defenseless, and she had complete faith in her team that they would find her, but it had already been almost 10 hours, or so she estimated.

She looked her attacker in the eyes again and finally realized where she might recognize the man from. He had a striking resemblance to Howard Epps, and she remembered the case they were working on were very similar to the Howard Epps killings.

He noticed the sudden change in her eyes, and straightened up, taking the gag out of her mouth.

"Who are you?" she spat out.

"It doesn't matter who I am. If you were really the genius everyone claims you are, you would've figured that out by now."

"I have some ideas," she responded as he walked over to a box that was sitting on the floor.

"Really? It doesn't matter who I am, all that matters is what you have done and you must repent, Dr. Brennan."

"If you're going to kill me, what's the harm in telling me who you are?" she asked.

"My name is Harry. You and your partner killed my brother. Well, mainly you, but I figured killing you would be enough torture for your partner, living the rest of his life without you."

"Your brother?" she asked, quickly realizing that he was Epps' brother. "Your brother was Howard?"

"Very good, Dr. Brennan," he clapped as he circled around her, taunting her. "You killed him, and now it's time to pay for that."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You know where she is?" Booth asked, not believing.

"It's just a theory, dude. I don't guess, but we're on a pretty tight deadline. If you think this is Epps' brother, he probably wouldn't hesitate killing her," Hodgins said and immediately noticed the sadness in Booth's face.

"Sorry, that was … wrong of me to say. Anyway, I just kinda put two and two together. All of the bodies were found in a cemetery, right? I can't believe we didn't realize this. The church where the bodies were found is a sister church to the one where Harry was essentially raised, it's also the church where Howard Epps' mother used to be a member. But, get this, this church was heavily damaged in a fire while Harry was staying there, and they rebuilt the church at a different location. The building is still there, they never bothered to tear it down, and it's completely abandoned. I also checked for particulates on the napkin, and there was soil on it, which matches the soil that I found on the victims."

"That means that Epps definitely buried his victims there, but how do you know that's where he took Brennan?"

"Dude, I told you it was a theory. Just check it out. The basement of the church was the only part of the structure that wasn't damaged in the fire."

"Thanks, Hodgins, good work, let's go, you're driving," Booth said as he grabbed Hodgins and started toward the exit.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry knocked Brennan out again and lifted her off the chair easily. He lifted her hands onto a hook from the ceiling and had her hang there. He grinned evilly as he began to notice bruises form over her body. He couldn't believe how easily this had become, that he had actually pulled it off. He was going to get his revenge.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Okay guys, a lot of this chapter is part description part action and I hope it's written well enough that you can envision it the way I have. There is a cliffhanger at the end, and there is a little minor language at one point. ENJOY! And please review! I didn't get too many for the last couple of chapters, I hope you all are still enjoying this story, it's almost over. And be prepared, we could have alternate endings.

Chapter 13:

It had been 13 hours now, but it felt like a lifetime. She felt very tired and weakened by the blows that kept coming. She could no longer feel her arms, and she knew her face was bruised beyond recognition, and she didn't want to give up, but with her body so badly damaged, she had no choice. She kept hoping that the next blow would knock her back into the unconscious world, but Harry didn't give her that luxury. He never hit her hard enough to cause unconsciousness, but he also began moving onto other parts of her body.

He had rid her of her shirt and began torturing her there. She didn't know what he used, but she could feel the sharpness of the object as it dug into the skin on her back. She could feel the blood pool and trickle down her back. He had made several gashes into her back, and every time she moved the slightest bit the wounds would reopen and begin to bleed again. Harry had also moved to her front side and she tilted her head back in horror as he carved a cross on her chest between her breasts. The Epps brothers had a fascination with crosses.

After he had made other gashes across her stomach, she felt the blood draining from her. She noticed the drops land on the floor and wondered how long she would hang there bleeding to death. She watched as Harry made his way to the box along the wall and pulled out a blow torch and ice pick. A distinct memory flashed through her brain. Booth, tied to a chair, being burned by the ice pick. Thankfully, she had gotten to him in time, but she couldn't imagine the pain he must've gone through. Until now. Now she understood just how much will power a person had to have while being tortured. She was slowly running out of that will power.

Harry hadn't said a word to her, and she had given up trying to get any information out of him. It was pointless, he wouldn't answer her. And she learned from Booth that if she angered him, it would just make it worse for her, so she kept her mouth shut.

Her head rolled around and she looked at Harry as he began to heat the ice pick with the blow torch and she was almost shaking because of the anticipation. That's always the worst part, waiting for it to actually happen. She tried to hide the horror, but she didn't know what the point was anymore. She was convinced that this was how she was going to die. She knew that Booth would do his best to find her, but she was slowly losing hope. The chances that he would find her in time were slim.

"Damn it," she heard Harry mutter and she lifted her head from where it tried to rest comfortably. She felt all of her muscles ache as she moved, but she didn't care.

"I'll be right back," he said as he put his materials down carefully and left the room. He shut the door right behind him so she hadn't had a chance to see what lied beyond that point.

She let out a breath she had seemed to be holding, and her head rolled down toward the floor. This could be her chance, she thought to herself. Maybe if she could just get herself off the hook then she could at least try to make it through the door. She hadn't heard it lock as he left, she could try to make a run for it.

Carefully she took a deep breath and began thrashing her body and her body protested. She immediately winced and let out a cry of pain. She still couldn't control her arms, they were completely numb and the wounds on her back and on her stomach and chest were too much for her. There was no way she'd be able to get off that hook by herself. Her mind screamed at her to not give up, that she had to give it everything her body had left, but her body screamed at her that she couldn't do it no matter how hard she tried.

Maybe, she thought, that if she could reopen enough of her wounds that she would just begin bleeding again and slip back into unconsciousness, anything to not feel the pain anymore. She again started to thrash her body around and began to feel the blood pooling and begin to flow from her body. She stopped and let her body hang, feeling her life draining from her body and she welcomed the darkness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"How long is this going to take Hodgins," Booth asked impatiently from the passenger seat.

"About another 5 minutes. I'm going as fast as I can under the circumstance," Hodgins said.

"Just hurry okay, who knows what this bastard did to Bones," he said.

The ride seemed to take an eternity, especially since he wasn't driving and he had no idea where they were going. It was an hour away, but it seemed like days.

"We're here," Hodgins announced and Booth immediately got out of the car.

"Okay Hodgins, give me your arm, I'll follow you," Booth said as he put his arm his and began to follow him, taking directions carefully.

They entered the church and found it to be very old and abandoned. Though the fire made the church unstable, it still managed to look in pretty good condition. Hodgins immediately found a staircase that led to a lower level in the church and led Booth down there. There was a long and dark hallway and Hodgins grabbed Booth's flashlight. He looked around and saw pictures of Brennan and Booth covering the walls.

"Oh dude," Hodgins said.

"What?"

"He's been stalking you guys. This must be where he kept most of the victims. There are blood stains everywhere."

"We have to find Bones," Booth said and as they were about to begin down the hallway, Booth heard someone come up behind them and he heard a grunt from Hodgins and his body slip to the floor.

"Hodgins!"

"Hello, Agent Booth," Booth heard a voice similar to Howard Epps and he couldn't believe how much they resembled each other. "I've been waiting for you."

"Hodgins!" Booth called again as he was grabbed by Harry. Trying to use a sense that he did not have, he began to swing his fists but was met with air as he stumbled. He tried again and missed, this time his fist met with a cement wall and he could feel the bones in his hand crack.

"Don't try it Agent Booth. Face it, you can't see, you're completely helpless and defenseless. Plus, if you stop I'll take you to Dr. Brennan."

At the mention of her name, Booth stood up, cradling his hand and shut his mouth, showing that he wasn't going to fight anymore.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A loud noise startled Brennan from her deep slumber. Her eyes opened slowly and painfully and they adjusted to the darkness in the room quickly. She heard the door open and Harry shoved a figure into the room. She noticed that it was Booth.

"Booth!" she gasped and she saw him turn in her direction at the sound of her voice. Her own voice sounded so weak to her.

"Bones, are you okay?"

She gave no reply, and he took that to mean that she was not, and she saw him nod, reassuring her.

"It's going to be okay, Bones, I promise," Booth said and she couldn't decide if he was saying that to comfort her in these moments or to give himself the confidence to get them both out of there alive.

"Shut up!" Harry shouted and kicked Booth hard in the stomach and Booth fell to the floor.

"Stop! Don't hurt him! Please, don't hurt him," Brennan pleaded, her voice hoarse and full of pain not only from her own injuries but from seeing her partner so vulnerable and weak.

"Bones, don't," Booth said.

"I'll do anything you want Harry, but please, don't hurt him," she said as tears began to make their way to her eyes. She had been so strong the past hours and hadn't shed one tear despite the unbearable pain, but seeing Booth had caused her to cry. She couldn't bear to watch him go through this torture, having to lose him.

"Anything?" Harry asked.

"Bones, no," Booth said.

"Anything," she answered.

"You killed my brother Agent Booth, and Dr. Brennan has been paying for that. For something that you have done," Harry said tauntingly as he circled his body that was lying on the floor. "But the best punishment of all is for you to be here when she dies. You will not watch her die, but you will hear her plead for her life and hear her take her final breath. And you will have to live the rest of your life knowing that you could've saved her if you had just saved Howard."

"I didn't kill Howard, Harry," Booth said. "It was an accident, he let go of my hand. There was nothing that I could've done to help him."

"Shut up!" Harry shouted as he again picked up the ice pick and the blow torch. "I've already had some fun with her. I wish you could see her, you wouldn't even recognize her."

"Bones," Booth said, "I love you."

"I know," she answered. "Don't listen to him, Booth. Remember me how I was, not how I died."

"Bones, I'm going to get you out of here," Booth said determined.

"SHUT UP!!" Harry screamed and lunged at Booth, hitting him across the head with the blow torch, knocking him unconscious.

"Harry, please. You have to believe me, Howard dying was an accident. We did everything we could to help him, to save him. He just didn't want to be saved," Brennan said as she looked over to her partner and saw his chest rise and fall.

"You're lying! Shut up! I wanted him to be awake when you died, but I can't take it anymore. Goodbye, Dr. Brennan," he said as he lifted the ice pick high above his head to plunge it into her temple.

She held her head high and closed her eyes, no longer afraid. She was grateful that Booth wasn't conscious to hear this. She believed that he would be okay without her. With thoughts of Booth running through her mind, she prepared for the death that awaited her.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thank you for all of your reviews guys, and trust me I wasn't going to make you all wait too long for the update. I hate when that happens to me, and if I had continued to write that one it would've been a super long chapter so I thought it was best handled this way. This is the last chapter by the way, so sad. I've enjoyed writing it so much and I've enjoyed having you all read and review and story alert and favorite alert it. It means a lot to a writer so thank you all so much for being so invested in it, sometimes more than I have been lol. So, ENJOY one more time and please review.

Chapter 14:

Hodgins came to and grumbled, grabbing his head. He had been hit with something, he didn't care what, but he didn't see Booth anywhere near him.

He saw the flashlight out of the corner of his eye, and grabbed it. He also saw a candlestick on the table, which he figured he must have been struck with. He grabbed it and headed down toward the hallway.

Hodgins heard shouting and tried to make his way down the hall as fast and as silently as he could, without Harry hearing him. He turned the flashlight off as he reached the room where Brennan and Booth were being held. He took one look at Brennan and saw how badly beaten she was. He couldn't believe how weak she looked and how easily she was giving up.

"You're lying! Shut up! I wanted to him to be awake when you died, but I can't take it anymore. Goodbye Dr. Brennan," he heard Harry say as he began to lift the ice pick up to the level of his head. He moved into the doorway and he caught Brennan in the eye. She gave him a look, telling him that she trusted him and he saw her lift her head high and close her eyes, awaiting the blow to the head.

He stepped forward as silently as he could and he swung the candlestick as hard as he could, hitting Harry in the head and as he fell, the ice pick went straight through to his head, blood gushing from the wound instantly.

Brennan opened her eyes and led out the breath she was holding.

"Hold on, Dr. Brennan," Hodgins said as he grabbed the chair and stood on it. He put his arm around her as gently as possible as he noticed her wounds, but she didn't want her to fall when he released her. "Here, stand on the chair," he said when he heard her cry of pain as he touched her wounds. He still kept a firm grip on her as he reached up and lowered her arms and she cried in pain as her muscles reacted negatively to the movements. Hodgins untied her hands and her feet and she sat there crying in pain and he didn't know what to do.

"Booth," she whispered as she stared at the unconscious form on the floor.

"He'll be okay. He's breathing," Hodgins said as he pulled out his phone and dialed 911 asking for ambulances at that address.

"Booth," she whispered once more as she once again lost consciousness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Brennan awoke and didn't know where she was. She found herself in a hospital bed and no longer felt pain, which she determined was the cause of some wondering pain killers that were given to her through her IV. She looked beside her and saw Angela sitting asleep in the chair. She tried to assess her body, her whole torso wrapped around her wounds, including her broken ribs, her arms felt much better even though she was sure they were going to be very sore in the coming days. She felt a dull ache in her head, but nothing she wouldn't be able to handle.

The memories of what happened to her began to come back. She remembered Hodgins coming in and killing Epps and taking her off the hook, but the rest she couldn't remember. The next thing she knew she woke up here.

"Hey sweetie," she heard Angela say as she came closer to the bed.

"Where's Booth?" was the first thing that came out of her mouth.

"He's going to be okay. He's still not awake yet, sweetie. You guys have been out for awhile. He hit Booth pretty hard over the head and you've been too weak to stay awake for more than two minutes," Angela said. "They have you on some pretty heavy duty medications so enjoy them while they last."

"I want to see Booth," Brennan said.

"Sweetie, you need to rest."

"No Angela, Booth needs me. I don't care, I will gladly stay in bed down there, but I'm not going to be away from him."

"Okay, I'll go check with the doctor, make sure that's okay with him. Wait for me, sweetie," she said as she left the room and Brennan was alone with her thoughts.

She couldn't wait to see Booth, to see him with her own eyes, to know that he was really going to be okay.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The doctor allowed Brennan to stay in Booth's room for the remainder of her hospital stay. She would need to stay there for a few more days to make sure that her wounds were healing satisfactorily and she regained more of her strength.

She looked over at Booth and saw his head was wrapped with gauze. Angela had caught Brennan up on what had happened once the ambulances got there and assured her once and for all that Epps was indeed dead.

Brennan had been slipping in and out of consciousness for two days and Booth still remained unconscious. The doctors were worried that he could have swelling in the brain, but all tests showed no sign of swelling or major trauma, which was a good thing. They said that he should be waking up at any point.

She heard mumbling from beside her and she turned her head to see Booth waking up.

"Booth, you're awake," Brennan said, chuckling, tears in her eyes.

"Bones?" he asked. "Is that you?"

"Yes, Booth. I'm right here, it's all over. We're okay," she said, reaching for his hand which she found quickly.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Epps hit you in the head. There was no swelling, but you've been asleep for about two days. Epps is dead. Hodgins came in and he fell on the ice pick, went right through his temple."

"That's good to know," Booth said, he said turning his head to the window.

"Booth? Are you okay?" she asked.

"I've never seen the sun so bright," he replied.

"Booth, it's just a reaction. You know that you can distinguish between light and dark…" but he cut her off.

"You're beautiful," he said as he turned back to face her.

"What?" she asked.

"Even more beautiful than I could remember," he said as he smiled at her.

"You can see me?" she asked, laughing, getting out of bed.

"No, stay in bed. You look terrible," he said as he got out of bed and over to hers. He looked into her eyes and saw all the pain that she had gone through with Epps. He gently reached his palm up to her cheek and caressed her face. "What did he do to you?"

"I had to give you time to find me," she replied, exactly what he had said when he had been tortured. "I was ready to give up before you got there. I never gave up on you though, Booth."

"I never gave up on you," he said. "What did he do to you, Temperance?"

"I'll save that for another time, maybe when I'm more prepared to face those memories. Is that okay?" she asked.

"That's fine, Bones. Whenever you feel like you can talk about it, we can. I'll wait," he said gently leaning forward touching his lips to her forehead and touching all of her bruises with his lips gently. To Brennan, it should have hurt, but it felt so much better than anything in the world.

"I love you," she said looking up into his eyes.

"I love you too," he said as he hugged her gently and she winced when his hand found the wounds on her back. "I'm sorry, sorry."

"He cut me with a knife or with class on my back and my stomach. It's still healing. Just more gentle," she said, explaining.

"I wish he was still alive so I could kill him. I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you."

"I'm not. You were there for me when I needed you, and that's all that I needed. Even if he had killed me, at least you were there with me. You had found me, and that's as good as I could have asked for."

They sat there for a few minutes just looking in each other eyes and enjoying each other's touch.

Finally Brennan said, "We should probably tell the doctor that you're awake."

"Oh, but if we do then they're going to take me to do all these tests; and I just want to be here with you right now. A few more minutes and then we can tell the doctor."

"A few minutes. You have your sight back, Booth. As fantastic as that is and I would love for you to stare at me all day, the doctors need to know. It's a miracle," she said and he kissed her once more. "I have something to tell you."

"What?" he asked.

"I'm pregnant," she said and looked away.

"What?" he asked, in shock. He never suspected a thing and then he realized that she didn't look as happy and he brought his hand to her chin gently and turned her to look at him. "Is the baby okay?"

"I tried to protect the fetus as much as I could, but he still kicked my stomach," she started to cry. "I have several broken ribs, but the doctor said that it's fine. There could be some complications, but I'm on bed rest for awhile until they know for sure, until the fetus is more developed."

"Oh, thank God," he said as he hugged her again as the tears continued to roll down her cheeks. "And it's a baby Bones, not a fetus."

"It is too a fetus Booth. It doesn't look like a baby trust me," she said.

"Okay, but eventually it will be a baby. Are you happy with that?" he asked.

"I have gotten used to the idea. I was going to tell you when I knew for sure, but the doctors here confirmed it. I'm about 8 weeks along."

"Wow, I can't believe this, I'm going to be a dad again," he said, touching her stomach gently.

"I'm still scared, Booth," she said and he looked at her with sympathy.

"I know, but I'm here, where I've always been. You don't have to worry," he said taking her hands and giving them a gentle squeeze of reassurance. "I will be there every step of the way. When you have morning sickness and when you start to show and when you start throwing things at me because of those crazy hormones," he said and she chuckled.

"Am I really going to have mood swings like other pregnant women?" she asked.

"Probably, but I will still love you. I'll be able to tell when it's you or when it's the hormones. And I'll be there when the baby is born, and I will be there for every feeding and every diaper change."

"That's quite impossible, you can't be there for every single one," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'll be there teaching you until you learn and you're comfortable enough to do it on your own, which you will. I promise. You're going to be a great mother, Bones."

"Thank you."

"All you need to do is take a deep breath, and everything will be okay."

THE END!

I bet you all didn't see that coming! One last twist for you all. Yay, it's the end. Okay so as you can tell, I'm probably going to write a sequel to this one in which Booth and Brennan deal with the joys of pregnancy, and I know a lot of people write about it, but I'm going to attempt it in a different approach, hopefully more funny than angst and I'm going to try to not write about cases because quite frankly, I hate writing them lol. Anyway, I'm planning on sharing the other ideas I had for the ending of these stories in which there could be character deaths. Let me know if you want to read them and I will either post them or I could send them to you as soon as they are finished. Let me know!


	15. Alternate Ending

A/N: A lot of you were expecting Booth to save Brennan so this is the alternate ending in which he does. If you all like it enough, maybe I will repost this as the regular ending instead.

Alternate Ending:

They entered the church and found it to be very old and abandoned. Though the fire made the church unstable, it still managed to look in pretty good condition. Hodgins immediately found a staircase that led to a lower level in the church and led Booth down there. There was a long and dark hallway and Hodgins grabbed Booth's flashlight. He looked around and saw pictures of Brennan and Booth covering the walls.

"Oh dude," Hodgins said.

"What?"

"He's been stalking you guys. This must be where he kept most of the victims. There are blood stains everywhere."

"We have to find Bones. We should split up, it might make it easier to find her" Booth said as he began making his way down the hallway.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A loud noise startled Brennan from her deep slumber. Her eyes opened slowly and painfully and they adjusted to the darkness in the room quickly. She heard the door open and she saw Booth come in.

"Booth," she said weakly and he turned in the direction of her voice.

"Bones? Is that you?" he asked, stepping further into the room.

"Yes, Booth. You have to get out of here, he'll be coming back any minute," she said, hoping to spare him the pain he might come to endure.

"I'm not leaving here without you, Bones. No way."

"Booth," she said weakly and he made his way over to her.

"Bones, are you okay?" he asked her hoping she would answer him. She didn't, and he could tell that Harry must have been doing horrible things to her. "It's going to be okay, I promise," Booth said, comforting her.

"Agent Booth," Harry said, standing in the doorway.

Brennan watched still hanging from the ceiling as Booth turned around to face the voice. Booth felt her behind him, and he put his arms out in an effort to protect her.

"What a pleasant surprise, I have been waiting for you," he said.

"Please, let her go. She's not who you want. Take me instead," Booth said.

"No," Brennan called out weakly.

Before Booth could defend himself he heard Harry approach him, and Harry hit Booth with something in the head.

Brennan watched as he fell to the floor, making sure he was still breathing. Harry was about to continue beating Booth, but he heard Brennan's weak voice call out to him.

"Stop! Don't hurt him! Please, don't hurt him," her voice was hoarse and full of pain not only from her own injuries but from seeing her partner so vulnerable and weak. "I'll do anything you want, Harry, but please, don't hurt him," she said the tears finally cascading down her cheeks. She had been so strong the past hours and hadn't shed one tear despite the unbearable pain, but seeing Booth had caused her to cry. She couldn't bear to watch him go through this torture, having to lose him.

"Anything?" Harry asked.

"Anything," she answered.

"Very well," he said and he again picked up the ice pick and blowtorch. Once he was satisfied with the heat, he touched the ice pick to the inside of Brennan's thigh. She gritted her teeth, and tried to hold her body at bay as it fought against the pain.

She looked down at the burn forming on her leg. She took deep breaths and continued to fight against the pain. It felt like an eternity before Harry lifted the ice pick from her leg and set it down on the floor, moving to the box against the wall.

Out of the corner of her eye though, she saw Booth move from where Harry had kicked his body. He laid there silent and turned his head to where Brennan was.

He brought a finger to his lips though, motioning for her to be quiet. He slowly stood up and grabbed the ice pick from the floor, and drove it into the back on Harry's skull. Harry's body immediately went limp and Booth dropped him to the ground.

Brennan gasped as Booth turned around to face her.

"Booth," she sighed.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he grabbed both sides of her face and forced her to look at him.

"You can see me," Brennan sighed, letting out a soft chuckle and a gasp.

"Yeah. I just woke up and saw what he was going to do to you. I just wish I had gotten to you sooner," he said as he walked to the chair, grabbing it and standing to pull her from the hook.

"Hold on," Booth said as he put his arms around her as gently as possible, holding her so she wouldn't fall. He had seen the wounds on her stomach and her back, all over her body, and he didn't want to aggravate her injuries. He also didn't want her to fall when he pulled her off the hook, knowing her body was very weak.

"Here, stand on the chair," he said when he heard her cry of pain when he touched her wounds. He still kept a firm grip on her as he reached up and lowered her arms and she cried in pain as her muscles reacted negatively to the movements.

"I'm sorry babe. I'm so sorry," he said as he kissed the side of her head and stepping off the chair. He set her down on the chair gently and reached to untie her hands and feet as she sat there weeping silently. He knew her pain was agonizing and he didn't know how to make it go away.

"Booth," she whispered as he was still untying her.

"Yeah?" he asked, knowing she wanted to tell him something.

"Booth…" she said but couldn't finish as she once again passed out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Brennan awoke and didn't know where she was. She found herself in a hospital bed and no longer felt pain, which she determined was the cause of some wondering pain killers that were given to her through her IV. She looked beside her and saw Booth sitting asleep in the chair. She tried to assess her body, her whole torso wrapped around her wounds, including her broken ribs, her arms felt much better even though she was sure they were going to be very sore in the coming days. She felt a dull ache in her head, but nothing she wouldn't be able to handle.

The memories of what happened to her began to come back. She remembered Booth coming in and killing Epps knocking him unconscious before torturing her once more, and then Booth killed him and took her off the hook, but the rest she couldn't remember. The next thing she knew she woke up here.

"Hey," she heard Booth say as he came closer to the bed.

"Was it a dream?" she asked him.

"Was what a dream?" he asked.

"Can you really see?" she asked.

"Yeah, the doctors said something about when he hit me something happened and I'm all better or whatever. It doesn't matter. How do you feel, babe?"

"Don't call me babe," she said as she closed her eyes.

"You are feeling better," he said as he brought his hand up to her cheek, gently caressing it.

As they sat there together, Booth told her what happened after she passed out. She had been slipping in and out of consciousness for the past two days, and she would have to stay there for at least another week until the wounds healed and she had regained a lot of her strength.

"What did he do to you?" Booth asked her.

"I had to give you time to find me," she replied, exactly what he had said when he had been tortured. "I was ready to give up before you got there. I never gave up on you though, Booth."

"I never gave up on you," he said. "What did he do to you, Temperance?"

"I'll save that for another time, maybe when I'm more prepared to face those memories. Is that okay?" she asked.

"That's fine, Bones. Whenever you feel like you can talk about it, we can. I'll wait," he said gently leaning forward touching his lips to her forehead and touching all of her bruises with his lips gently. To Brennan, it should have hurt, but it felt so much better than anything in the world.

"I love you," she said looking up into his eyes.

"I love you too," he said as he hugged her gently and she winced when his hand found the wounds on her back. "I'm sorry, sorry."

"He cut me with a knife or with class on my back and my stomach. It's still healing. Just more gentle," she said, explaining.

They sat there for a few minutes just looking in each other eyes and enjoying each other's touch.

Finally Brennan said, "We should probably tell the doctor that I'm awake."

"Oh, but if we do then they're going to take you to do all these tests; and I just want to be here with you right now. A few more minutes and then we can tell the doctor."

"A few minutes," she said and he kissed her once more. "I have something to tell you."

"What?" he asked.

"I'm pregnant," she said and looked away.

"What?" he asked, in shock. He never suspected a thing and then he realized that she didn't look as happy and he brought his hand to her chin gently and turned her to look at him. "Is the baby okay?"

"I tried to protect the fetus as much as I could, but he still kicked my stomach," she started to cry. "I have several broken ribs, but the doctor said that it's fine. There could be some complications, but I'm on bed rest for awhile until they know for sure, until the fetus is more developed."

"Oh, thank God," he said as he hugged her again as the tears continued to roll down her cheeks. "And it's a baby Bones, not a fetus."

"It is too a fetus Booth. It doesn't look like a baby trust me," she said.

"Okay, but eventually it will be a baby. Are you happy with that?" he asked.

"I have gotten used to the idea. I was going to tell you when I knew for sure, but the doctors here confirmed it. I'm about 8 weeks along."

"Wow, I can't believe this, I'm going to be a dad again," he said, touching her stomach gently.

"I'm still scared, Booth," she said and he looked at her with sympathy.

"I know, but I'm here, where I've always been. You don't have to worry," he said taking her hands and giving them a gentle squeeze of reassurance. "I will be there every step of the way. When you have morning sickness and when you start to show and when you start throwing things at me because of those crazy hormones," he said and she chuckled.

"Am I really going to have mood swings like other pregnant women?" she asked.

"Probably, but I will still love you. I'll be able to tell when it's you or when it's the hormones. And I'll be there when the baby is born, and I will be there for every feeding and every diaper change."

"That's quite impossible, you can't be there for every single one," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'll be there teaching you until you learn and you're comfortable enough to do it on your own, which you will. I promise. You're going to be a great mother, Bones."

"Thank you."

"All you need to do is take a deep breath, and everything will be okay."

THE END!


End file.
